Adobo Chips with Warm Goat Cheese and Cilantro Salsa

Morita chiles are red, fully mature Chipotles. This gives them a unique, medium – hot smokey flavor which is popular in many Southwestern dishes. These can be added to sauces (including Mole) to add smokey flavor and maintain the red color of the sauces. These peppers are about 2-4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and have a deep brick reddish brown color. The word Chipotle translated to smoked chile. Consider the Chipotle a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest). Scoville heat units 7,000-25,000.

Suggested Use:
Use Morita in enchilada sauces, chili, stews, barbecue ribs, and corn bread. Their smoky quality combines well with poultry, meats and fall squash.

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Ingredients:

Salsa:

1 (7 oz.) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 cups chopped fresh cilantro (about 1 bunch)
1 cup finely chopped tomatillos (about 4 medium)
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Chips:

2-1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. canola oil
1 tsp. adobo sauce
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cumin
8 (6″) corn tortillas

Cheese:

1/2 cup (4 oz.) block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (2 oz.) goat cheese

Instructions:

To make the salsa:

Remove 2 of the chipotle chiles from the can and finely chop them to measure out 2 tsp. of chile. Remove a teaspoon of adobo sauce from the can and set it aside (reserve the remaining chipotle chiles and adobo sauce for another use). Combine the chiles, cilantro, tomatillos, onion and 1/4 cup of lime juice in a medium bowl and cover and chill for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375F.

To make the chips:

Combine 2-1/2 tsp. of lime juice, canola oil, adobo sauce, paprika and cumin in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Brush 1 tortilla with about 1/4 tsp. of the juice mixture, spreading to the edge. Top with another tortilla and repeat the procedure with juice mixture. Repeat the procedure 6 more times (you will have 1 stack of 8 tortillas). Using a sharp knife, cut the tortilla stack into 6 wedges. Place the wedges in a single layer on baking sheets and bake at 375F for 15 minutes. Turn the wedges and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350F.

To make the cheese:

Combine the cream cheese and goat cheese in a small bowl and stir until blended. Spread the cheese mixture into a shallow 6 oz. ramekin or baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or just until warm.

Yields 8 servings.

Recipe by Elizabeth Taliaferro, Cooking Light Magazine, May 2005.