Recently, I have encountered chipotle chilies in adobo sauce as an ingredient in the cookbook I’m working through right now (The Best 30 Minute Meal by Cook’s Illustrated). For the past couple months, every time I have flipped through the cook book and seen a recipe with them in the ingredients list, I have skipped the recipe. <wamp wamp>
Why was I so recipe-skiddish? I had no idea what chipotle chilies in adobo sauce were! Never even heard of them before!
One day I got brave, and purchased a can from Kroger.
Using the chilies, I made Skillet Vermicelli with Chorizo Sausage and Black Beans from the Cook’s Illustrated cookbook. and all I can say is: I HAVE BEEN MISSING OUT! This is officially our new favorite recipe from this cook book. I did not want to put my fork down (I kept sneaking back into the kitchen once dinner was over! In fact, I’m willing to bet money that I’ll sneak back to the kitchen for another spoonful before I finish writing this post). Cook’s Illustrated really hit the nail on the head with this one. I didn’t add the cheese to the entire pot; instead, I just let people sprinkle what they want on their own plate. I provided sour cream, but nobody used it. (FYI- I just tip-toed into the kitchen for another bite hehe) This was fantastic and I will be returning to page 150 for this recipe many times in the future.
Ok, so back to the chilies. After this dish I HAD to know more about these chunks of deliciousness. I asked the women in my cookbook club more about these little guys and they had a lot of chili-wisdom. Since they passed their knowledge onto me, I’m passing it onto you.
The gals taught me that these chilies are really delicious and have more of a smoky flavor than a hot flavor. You wont need a lot to get the desired flavor, so instead of chucking the can, you can either put a top on the can and use them during the week for other dishes OR freeze them. Since each can is about 85 cents, I think you’ll be quite pleased with yourself. In the grocery store you can probably find them in the ethnic aisle.
So if you see chipotle chilies in adobo sauce listed in the ingredients, DON’T BE SCARED. Go for it! You CAN do it!
