One of the big benefits of being able to work at home on occassion is that I get to spend the hour between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. doing something other than sitting in traffic being anxious. This morning I used it to start making chipotle en conserva - basically a chile-garlic-onion marmalade that is delicious as a condiment and also as a base for some meat dishes. We made it at cooking school and I've been jonesing to make some ever since I got home.
I've had the ingredients sitting around for ages so this morning I decided to put it all together.
Chipotle en conserva
(From Mexican Home Cooking School)
- 10-16 dried chipotles (I prefer moritas)
- some bay leaves (from my parents' garden)
- four heads of garlic (mostly from our CSA farm box)
- 1 tbsp dried oregano (also from the farm)
- 1 tbsp dried thyme (also from the farm)
- 1 large cone piloncillo (Mexican sugar)
- 1/2 cup of cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt
- 2 onions
Add everything but the onion to 6 cups of salted water. Simmer partially for an hour. Take off the heat and let sit overnight (in this case I did it in the morning. let it sit all day, and then finished it in the evening). Slice the onions very fine, add to the pot and then simmer for another half an hour or so. Put into sterlized jars and refrigerate.According to Dona Elena, it'll keep in the fridge for a year if you always use a clean spoon when dipping in to use it.
It was fun and made the house smell really good. This made about six little bottles plus I had some leftover sauce and onions once I ran out of chipotles. I think I'll see if I can use it to braise some ribs or something in the pressure cooker and use it in tacos or something . . . we shall see, we shall see.
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