Birriad
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:
3 lbs bone in lamb shoulder or butt end of leg
12 guajillo chiles, dried, stemmed, and seeded
6 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 tomato, peeled and cored, or 15 oz. canned tomatoes, drained
1 tsp Mexican oregano
salt
1 onion, cut in 1/8 inch dice
3 Tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped
2 limes, quartered
Instructions:
Trim most of the fat from meat. Tear chiles into flat pieces and toast, a few at a time, pressing them against hot surface with metal spatula, until they crackle and blister, about 5 minutes a side. Place in a bowl and cover with boiling water, weighted with plate to keep submerged. Soak 30 minutes. Roast garlic in same skillet until peel blackens and cloves are soft inside, 2-3 minutes. Cool and peel. Drain chiles and puree in blender or food processor with garlic and vinegar. Add cumin, pepper, salt, and 3/4 cup water and puree until smooth. Press through a sieve. Remove 1/2 cup and stir in sugar. Set aside for glazing. Spread the rest of the chile paste over meat, cover, and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Set roasting rack in a deep, wide pot at least 1 inch above the bottom of the pot. Add 3 cups water. Lay marinated meat on rack, spreading any extra marinade on top. Cover pot with tight sealing lid. Bake at 325° for 3 hours.
Carefully remove meat from rack. Remove rack from pot and spoon fat from surface of broth. Measure out broth, adding water if necessary to make 1 quart, into saucepan. Puree tomato with oregano, add to broth and simmer over medium-low heat 20 minutes. Season with salt to taste. Shortly before serving, remove bones, large pieces of gristle and excess fat from meat, keeping pieces of meat as large as possible. Set meat on baking sheet, brush lightly with reserved chile paste, and bake at 350° for 10 minutes.
To serve, present meat on large platter and pass warm broth separately, or slice meat across grain and serve it in broth soup plates. Pass onion, cilantro, and limes.
From Rick Bayless, Authentic Mexican:Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico.