Dried chipotle chiles can easily be reconstituted by soaking them in
warm liquid for just a few minutes. They can then be easily diced, minced,
pureed
or substituted whole for chipotle in adobo (See recipe
below).
Chipotle chiles can also be stemmed, seeded, toasted and placed into a food
processor or spice mill to make a super fresh chipotle chile powder.
Adding Just the Flavor: For some recipes you
may not want to add the whole pepper but just its smoky flavor and heat.
To fully unleash the chipotle chile peppers heat slice the pepper from
just below the stem all the way through the tip. Discard any loose seed
and add to your favorite recipes .To add just a little heat put small
slits into the chipotle pepper before addition. Add chipotle chile peppers
whole to add
a nice smoky chile pepper flavor with just a little bit of heat. Remove
the chipotle pepper just before serving.
Chipotle in adobo:
This preparation of chipotle chile peppers in tomato sauce has become a
popular ingredient in many recipes in recent years. It is easy to make
your own: In a sauce pan place 10 chipotle chiles with their stems removed
and cut in half, 2 cup water, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar,
1/4 cup diced onion, 1 cup ketchup, 3 cloves crushed garlic, one
bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin and a pinch cinnamon and black pepper.
Simmer on the lowest setting until sauce is reduced to one cup, about
1-1/2 hours. Remove the peppers, bend the sauce and can or store in
the refrigerator.
Chipotle Poppers:
These spicy appetizers are not for the faint of hearted. Soak the
desired number of whole chipotle chile peppers in just enough warm liquid
to cover them. When the peppers just become pliable use a knife to cut
slits all around the base to the stem and pull it away from the rest of
the pepper. Carefully remove as much of the seeds and vain material as
possible. Stuff the chipotle poppers with a melting cheese and bake in a
oven at 300°F just until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Sever
these fiery popper with sour cream or creme fresh and a cold drink.