Adobo Recado

Ingredients

• 1 C corn oil
• 6 guajillo chiles, seeded and deveined
• 4 ancho chiles, seeded and deveined
• 1 chipotle chile, seeded and deveined
• 1 C boiling water
• 8 whole allspice, freshly ground
• 4 whole cloves, freshly ground
• 1 tsp cumin seeds, freshly ground
• 1 tbsp mexican oregano, freshly ground
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 roma tomatoes, pan-roasted until blistered, deeply browned, and soft
• .5 C apple cider vinegar
• .5 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Procedure

1. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking.
2. Fry the chiles, 1 or 2 at a time until puffed and brown. About 10 seconds. Do not let them burn.
3. Shake off excess oil and dry. Reserve the oil.
4. Add the boiling water to the chiles and let them soak until soft, about 20 min.
5. Put the chiles, their water, and all remaining ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
6. Heat 2 tbsp of the reserved chile oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking.
7. Pour the blended mixture into the skillet and cook stirring frequently until it begins to reduce, sizzle, and becomes darker in color, about 10 minutes.