Chiles, chiles everywhere...
Part II
By Lila Shaw Lash

Knowing my personal obsession with chiles, I attempted to sweep away some of the mystery in my last Dinner Goddess column. As much as fresh chiles provide the indispensable base for fresh salsas and other preparations, dried chiles provide the intense flavor and aroma required for hundreds of your Mexican favorites. Jalapenos are transformed into chipotles with a little smoke and patience, poblanos are transformed into anchos with a little sun and more patience, and even more widely used dried chiles have less well-known predecessors—(M)guajillos, arbol, and pasillas come to mind.

To extract the flavor essence, you will have to use a few different techniques, depending on the chile—(M)dry-roasting, deep-frying, soaking. Let’s start with one of my favorites...

The ancho is the by-product of the widely used poblano, with more soulful, smoky flavors. As you will see in your own kitchen, the goal of a well-combined ancho puree is to be brownish red with a mild, rich, almost sweet taste and a tiny residual bitterness. This puree becomes the base for countless preparations—(M)moles, glazes for meats, flavors for sauces with an extra kick. If you have a little jar in the back of your refrigerator, you’ll find countless ways to use it.

To start out, you should pick untorn, clean, soft, aromatic chiles from your vendor. You can either tear or cut the chiles open lengthwise with scissors, whichever you prefer. Clean the chile by removing all the seeds, veins and stems from inside—(M)you have to use your fingernails with anchos, as the fresh ones are usually still a bit sticky. You should ideally end up with a flattened chile, devoid of any extra bits and pieces. Heat your comal or heavy skillet to medium-high heat, and begin by toasting the chile on the shiny, outer side. You should press the chile to the comal with a wooden spatula (it goes without saying that plastic would not be recommended), until thin wisps of smoke come off and the chile skin begins to bubble up. Flip the chile and do the same on the inner part, then submerge in a prepared bowl of boiling water. Continue until all your chiles are toasted and in the water bath. This process is called roasting and rehydrating. After you let them soak in the water bath for 30 minutes, the 
chiles are ready for a seasoned puree.

I highly recommend Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen for options on a seasoned puree. The whole first chapter takes you through the Essential Flavors of the Mexican Kitchen, highlighting each chile preparation and giving you options for dishes based on each one.

I brought my copy from Austin and the binding is now almost completely unraveled, right along with Diana Kennedy’s Essential Cuisines of Mexico.

Poblanos require a little air and patience, whereas jalapenos require smoke to transform into chipotles. The smoky heat of the chipotle has made it quite the candidate for crossover into countless other international cuisines—(M)heck, even Jack in the Box jumped on the bandwagon. The most accessible versions are the chipotles en adobo—(M)chiles packed with tomato sauce, spices and vinegar. No two brands are the same, so I always keep my eye out for the San Marcos cans, as per Rick Bayless’s recommendation.

Most people use the chipotles en adobo because finding dried ones can be a bit challenging—(M)but not if you live in Mexico. The dried chipotle should be dusty brown on the outside with a strong, smoky smell. Chipotles need a little more intense treatment to soften the exterior, so many Mexican chefs recommend deep-frying the chile until it puffs up, then submerging in slightly sweetened boiling water, and then pureeing them with your spices of choice. The flavor of chipotle puree comes on like a freight train, so a little will go along way.

Chiles are the foundation, but your creativity can be limitless. Chefs combine chipotle with chocolate or ancho with orange, so what will be your next culinary creation?

Lila Shaw Lash is the Dinner Goddess, a personal chef and catering service for clients in San Miguel de Allende. Find out more at dinnergoddess.com or write to her at lila@dinnergoddess.com.