B
Blair P. Houghton
Guest
Still playing with the dried peppers I got at Penzey's last week. This
time I went for the chipotles (these smell unbelievable in the bag) and
a rehydration experiment.
4 oz eye round or round steak, 3/4 inch thick, sliced into 1/8-1/4 inch
thick strips
3/4 cup diced onion
1 2-inch chipotle, stemmed, seeded, and rehydrated in an ounce of water
and an ounce of red wine
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tbs EVOO
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 lime
1 large Roma tomato, diced
2 leaves lettuce
2 low-fat tortillas
put the oil in the pan and heat just below smoking
add the onion and salt and sweat for 30 seconds over med-high heat
add the garlic; add the chipotle and liquid (mind the burning cloud of
fumes)
reduce for 1 minute
add the beef
sautee until meat reaches desired doneness; squeeze lime over pan
heat tortillas in microwave
place a lettuce leaf on a tortilla, add tomatoes and fajitas and
now-caramelized onions and peppers
rejoice in chile-head wonder
Actually, this wasn't as flavorful as I was expecting, but the
spiciness was dead-solid-perfect. I think I need to add a whole
guajillo pepper to it, so there will be more pepper mass in the end
result, thus more pepper flavor. Guajillos are somewhat mild, so the
chipotle will be the smoky, spicy component, and the guajillo will be
the fruity, earthy component. I'm sure the lime perked it up a bit,
too.
Also, I rehydrated before I seeded, which I think helped me get the
membrane, too. That'd be hard with a leathery pepper. But I think a
lot of the spice is extracted into the liquid; so I kept that, and it
was just the right move.
--Blair
time I went for the chipotles (these smell unbelievable in the bag) and
a rehydration experiment.
4 oz eye round or round steak, 3/4 inch thick, sliced into 1/8-1/4 inch
thick strips
3/4 cup diced onion
1 2-inch chipotle, stemmed, seeded, and rehydrated in an ounce of water
and an ounce of red wine
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1.5 tbs EVOO
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 lime
1 large Roma tomato, diced
2 leaves lettuce
2 low-fat tortillas
put the oil in the pan and heat just below smoking
add the onion and salt and sweat for 30 seconds over med-high heat
add the garlic; add the chipotle and liquid (mind the burning cloud of
fumes)
reduce for 1 minute
add the beef
sautee until meat reaches desired doneness; squeeze lime over pan
heat tortillas in microwave
place a lettuce leaf on a tortilla, add tomatoes and fajitas and
now-caramelized onions and peppers
rejoice in chile-head wonder
Actually, this wasn't as flavorful as I was expecting, but the
spiciness was dead-solid-perfect. I think I need to add a whole
guajillo pepper to it, so there will be more pepper mass in the end
result, thus more pepper flavor. Guajillos are somewhat mild, so the
chipotle will be the smoky, spicy component, and the guajillo will be
the fruity, earthy component. I'm sure the lime perked it up a bit,
too.
Also, I rehydrated before I seeded, which I think helped me get the
membrane, too. That'd be hard with a leathery pepper. But I think a
lot of the spice is extracted into the liquid; so I kept that, and it
was just the right move.
--Blair