Angel Hair Pasta with Ancho Chile Sauce
Ancho (Ahn-cho) Chile (Capsicum Annum) means Wide Chile Pepper. This chile ranges from 3 – 4 on a heat scale of 1 to 10. An Ancho is the dried form of a Poblano Pepper and often is mislabeled as a Pasilla or Mulato Pepper. Anchos have sweet fruity flavor with hints of cherry, prune, and fig. Anchos, combined with the Pasilla and Guajillo, form the Holy Trinity of chiles used to prepare the traditional mole sauces. Scoville heat units are 1,000 to 3,000.
Ingredients:
4 ancho chiles,stems, seeds and veins removed
2-1/2 cups chicken stock or water
2 whole cloves
1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1/8 tsp. cumin seeds
salt to taste
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 ounces angel hair pasta or very fine vermicelli, preferably in nests or skeins
1/3 cup finely grated queso anejo or Romano cheese
avocado slices
quartered limes
Instructions:
In a nonreactive medium sauce-pan, cover the chiles with water and simmer them for 5 minutes. Remove the chiles from the heat and let them soak until soft, 5 more minutes. Drain.
Pour 1/4 cup of the chicken stock into the blender, add the cloves, garlic and cumin seeds and blend until smooth. Season with salt. Add 1 more cup of the stock and the drained chiles, a few at a time, and blend until smooth, adding more stock if necessary.
Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan. Add the pasta and fry, turning, until it has turned a deep golden color, about 3 minutes (keep the nests intact). Strain off any excess oil.
Add the blended sauce to the pasta in the skillet and fry over moderate heat for about 3 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking. Cover and cook over low heat, adding the remaining stock a little at a time to prevent sticking, until the pasta is just cooked through, 5-8 minutes.
Transfer the pasta to a serving dish and sprinkle with the cheese and serve with the avocado and limes.
Recipe by Diane Kennedy.