Chipotle Crumb-Stuffed Onions
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.
Ingredients:
4 (14-16 oz.) onions
3/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 canned Chipotle chile, chopped fine plus 1/2 tsp. sauce from the canned chiles
2 tsp. oregano
Instructions:
To prepare each onion for stuffing:
Cut a minimal slice from the root end and slice off about 3/4″from the stem end, then peel and discard the skin.
With small knife or apple corer, scoop out the onion, using a spoon as needed, to make a 1/4″thick shell. Set the scooped onion aside. Do not cut through bottom of shell. Each onion shell will hold about 3/4 cup stuffing.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Finely chop enough of the scooped onion to measure 1-1/2 cups. In a medium bowl, mix the chopped onion with the remaining ingredients. Place the onions in a baking dish and spoon the filling into the shells, mounding it up. Add 1/2 cup water to the dish and cover. Bake the onions for 35-40 minutes or until they are tender.
Recipe adapted from one by the South Texas Onion Committee, 05/21/97.