Yesterday I made a Texas style chili recipe that called for some canned chipotle chilis in adobo sauce. Except the recipe only needed a couple of chilis and a little bit of the sauce, so now I have the rest of them sitting in a bowl in my fridge. So what else can I do with these chilis and their sauce? They’re not something I normally cook with, other than making more chili I don’t really have any ideas.
Well, you can make a hat, or a brooch, or a pterodactyl, or a…
If all else fails, chop them real fine and mix the adobo and chilis into your morning omelet. They also make a nice addition to baked beans.
It’s also good on tacos or enchiladas quesadillas or burritos or any other Mexican food. Like silenus said, chop them up very fine and add back into their sauce.
The omelet suggestion made my mind jump to huevos rancharos. Normally I top them with salsa, black beans, and a little cheese. But I could see substituting the salsa for the chopped chilis and their sauce, maybe mixed in with some of the black beans.
Lots of options. Chopped fine (or blended) with the sauce and a Tecate/Corona beer you can use to slow or pressure cook the meat of your choice - pork or beef cooked to shreds with this will be great to use in burritos, tacos, or anything else. Make a bunch and freeze in 1-2 serving containers and use throughout the next few months.
It also works as a marinade for fajitas, chicken/beef/shrimp (although I’d probably add some lime juice as well).
I’ve used it as a brine base for smoked brisket as well for a complementary smoky flavor when I like a southwest flair.
Lastly, blend fine and use as a sauce/shmear for buns for southwestern style burgers. Enough with the aioli already!
For that mater, lastly part 2, you can do the above and use it as a homemade hot sauce, cheaper than the $3-6 a bottle you’ll see in the stores for a few ounces. I’d absolutely add a bit of extra salt, and probably some cider vinegar to balance out the flavors, and refrigerate, using over no more than a week or so.
They also freeze really well. It’s easy to just break/chip off a bit whenever you think you might like to add some smoky/spicy flavor. Beef stew is one dish where chipotle makes a nice, unexpected flavor boost.
They also keep for a long time in the fridge, so no big rush to use them right away.
I like to use them in tamale pie.
I would do this, or top baked potatoes.
Yup–twice-baked potatoes with bacon, cheddar, shallots and chipotle! (And butter, goes without saying).
Make Spanish rice with them. Added kick to some hummus. Israeli roasted eggplant or Hungarian zucchini ikra. Roasted cauliflower. On and on…
My go to “leftover chilis in adobo” is throw them in a blender with sour cream and make a spicy/vinegary dip to go with tortilla chips.
The obvious answer is cornbread (baked in a cast-iron frying pan, of course).
There was a place we went when I lived in L.A. and worked behind the Orange Curtain called The Chili Pepper. (I’ve just seen that they closed in June, 2020 after 46 years in business.) They had a dish called (IIRC) Chipotle Salmon. I’ve made a version at home. Place salmon filets on aluminum foil in a baking dish. Slice mushrooms and chop an onion. Chop the chipotle chiles. Mix the mushrooms, onions, and chiles into a pint of sour cream. Pour the mixture over the salmon filets and seal the aluminum foil into a package. Bake in a 375ºF oven for an hour (more or less – depends on the thickness of the salmon). Serve with a squash medley and refried or charro beans. For dessert, make little burritos filled with apple pie filling, fry them in oil, and dust with powdered sugar.
You can adjust the ‘heat’ of the salmon by adding more or fewer chipotles and sauce.
I don’t think that’s a Hungarian one, unless there’s some special/regional variation. That looks to be most associated with Russian and possibly Ukrainian cuisine from googling.
As to the OP, I use it anywhere I want smokey and spicy flavors. Bean soup (works almost like a spicy ham hock in terms of flavoring), pot of beans, barbecue sauce, even in sauerkraut. Mix it in with store bought salsa for a bit of extra kick. That sort of stuff.
Probably true. It’s called something else in Hungary but I was too lazy to search for the right name. They are all similar to my understanding, and none call for “chipotle in adobo” to my knowledge .
I’m just curious what it was, as I’m interested in Hungarian cuisine and haven’t run into it. But there’s all sorts of things I haven’t discovers yet. Is this served like a spread on bread at room temp?
But that gives me an idea. You can try the chipotle with a Balkan spread called ajvar, a mix of egg plants and red peppers usually.
You are correct. But can also be served chilled. I like it best chilled on hot toasted black or rye bread.
Or use them for a kick in homemade salsa but now I’m thinking a way to bump up store-bought salsa.
Watch Sam the cooking guy on YouTube. He uses them in about 80% of everything he cooks. All of it good.
By any chance, did you make Alton Brown’s Pressure cooker chili? Just curious since you mentioned “Texas Chili” and 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
I love that recipe, and it’s my go to recipe with a few modifications. The biggest perhaps being that I cook it in an instant pot instead of a pressure cooker.
I don’t use the tortilla chips he says since that’s a gimicky way to thicken the chili and is hard to control how thick it gets and the saltiness. Instead I just mix in masa harina at the end if I have it, if not I thicken with a slurry of flour and water. I have a few other differences in what I add to it for my own personal tastes. And horror of horrors, I add beans so maybe it’s not technically a “Texas Chili” but I like the texture difference of the beans and meat.
All told though, it’s a good recipe especially if you make the chili powder he recommends!
I don’t have a pressure cooker, but when it comes to chili I have time. I may have to try this one. Only… Seems a little sparse on the chiles.