Directions: |
Directions:1. Cut off the tops of the chiles with scissors and shake out the seeds. Poke around in the chile with a knife to get the rest. With the scissors cut the chilis lengthwise into two halves, and then into chunks about 1" square. Put them into a medium hot frying pan for about 2 minutes, then shake the pan to flip as many as possible and toast them for another 2 minutes. This brings out the flavorful oils, a process called blooming.
2. Grind the chunks in a spice grinder, coffee grinder, blender, or food processor. Remember to clean it thoroughly when you are done. Let the cloud of dust settle in the grinder for several minutes before you remove the top.
3. Put in jar and stir them all together. This blend will keep for about a year, but the freshness and potency slowly declines. |
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Notes: |
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Notes: About the heat. The heat level here is mild. If you want to amp it up start with 1/2 a teaspoon of chipotle powder.
About the peppers. These chiles are all dried peppers. Pasilla is a dried Chilaca. Ancho is a dried Poblano. Chipotle is a dried smoked Jalapeņo.
Do not buy fresh peppers unless you have a way to dry them.
About the paprika. The recipe calls for a bright "fruity" paprika. If you wish, you can use a huskier smoked paprika.
You can buy powdered chiles, but the results are better if you grind them fresh. The size and weight of the average pod can vary significantly from store to store and from season to season. To help you plan, here are some conversions that are sort of an average. These averages are before stemming and seeding.
1 Ancho weighs about 1/4 ounce and makes about 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons. 1 Pasilla weighs about 1/4 ounce and makes about 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon 1 Chipotle weighs about 1/8 ounce and makes about 2 teaspoons 1 Guajillo weighs about 1/8 ounce and makes about 2 teaspoons
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