Adobo Para Conchinito
The Guajillo (wha-hee-oh) chile is the most common dried chile in Mexico after the Ancho. The flavor of the Guajillo is distinct, slightly fruity with a strong piney, berry under taste. Guajillo flavors dished easily so a little goes a long way. This chile is between a 2-4 on the heat scale of 1-10. Guajillo, combined with the Passilla and Ancho, form the holy trinity of chiles used to prepare the traditional mole sauces.
Suggested Use:
A mildly hot chile. Use in sauces, salsa, soups and your favorite chile. A little goes a long way.
Ingredients:
30 dried guajillo chiles
4 dried avocado leaves
8 cloves garlic peeled and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. dried Mexican oregano
1-1/2 tsp. dried thyme
10 bay leaves crumbled
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Rinse the chiles. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add the cleaned chiles, then cook, turning them often until fragrant, for about a minute.
Transfer the toasted chiles to a bowl and cover with some hot water. Let them soak until soft and pliable, about 20 minutes.
Using the same skillet, toast the avocado leaves and turn them once, cooking about 15 seconds per side, then crumble the leaves and set them aside.
Drain the chiles and the stems and seeds. Place the chiles in a blender and add the crumbled avocado leaves, vinegar, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, bay leaves and pepper to taste. Puree the ingredients until you have a smooth mixture.
Perfect as a marinade for fresh pork and lamb.
Yields 2 cups.