Adobo Sauce

4 large dried ancho chiles
1/8 tsp. cumin seeds
1/8 tsp. Mexican oregano
1/8 tsp. thyme
1 T. salt
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 c. mild white vinegar

Toast the chiles lightly, turning them from time to time so they do not burn. Slit them open and remove the seeds and veins. Put the chiles into a bowl and cover them with hot water. Let them soak for about 20 minutes, then remove them with a slotted spoon to a blender container. Add remaining ingredients and blend into a fairly smooth paste. Do not overblend.

To use: Coat both sides of meat with Adobo. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Heat oil and fry meat very slowly on both sides, about 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat. When meat has cooked through, raise the heat and brown it quickly. Garnish with sliced scallions.

Adobe Sauce
from Rick Bayless, Frontera Grill in Chicago

Spicy seasoning paste for cooking or canning chipotles (smoked jalapeño chiles). This recipe can be half anchos and half guajillos or all chipotle, any combination of dried chiles to taste. Straining is a matter of personal preference.

8 garlic cloves, unpeeled
8 dried ancho chiles
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 cloves, whole (optional)
1/3 cup chicken stock or chile soaking water
1 teaspoon salt

Toast the unpeeled garlic until soft and sweet-smelling. Remove from heat source and cool. Pull of the skins and chop roughly.

Toast the chiles until skin bubbles. Remove from heat. Put in small bowl of water to rehydrate. Drain. (Use the soak water for the recipe liquid if desired.).

Pulverize the oregano, pepper, cumin and close in a spice grinder or mortar. Place in a molcajete or blender. Add the chiles and garlic.

Measure in the liquid and blend to a paste. If needed, add more liquid unti everything in the blender is combining but as thick as possible.

Remove from blender. (I take the bottom off mine to get the paste out.) This is ready to use in a recipe at this point. Further cooking is necessary to use in canning.

To use for canned chiles:

Put paste in a bowl and stir in liquid until it's a pourable consistency.

Heat an empty very heavy frying pan for a few minutes over medium-high heat. Film the bottom of the pan with a small amount of oil. Test temperature by dropping a little mixture into pan. If it sizzles sharply, the pan is hot enough.

Pour all mixture into the pan, don't let the temperature drop. Stir constantly until the mixture has darkened and turned into a thick mass. Usually this takes about 5 minutes.

Turn heat down to simmer and add liquid of your choice to the consistency you need. Simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes or so to develop flavors.

Cool and work through a food mill or push through a sieve until there are no lumps.

Adobo

8 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
4 dried chiles Anchos stemmed, seeded, deveined about 2 ounces
6 dried chiles Guajillos stemmed, seeded, deveined about 1 1/2 ounces
1/2 inch stick cinnamon, about 1/2 tsp. ground
1 clove, or a pinch ground
10 black peppercorns, scant 1/4 tsp. ground
2 large bay leaves broken up
1/8 tsp cumin seed, or 1/8 tsp. ground
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cider vinegar

Yield: 1 Cup

Toasting the chiles and garlic - Roast the garlic cloves on a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat, turning frequently, until blackened in spots and VERY soft, about 15 minutes. Remove, cool, skin and roughly chop.

While the garlic is roasting, tear the chiles into flat pieces and toast them a few at a time: Use a metal spatula to press them firmly against the hot surface for a few seconds, until they blister, crackle and change color, then flip them over and press them flat to toast the other side. Break the chiles into a small bowl, cover with boiling water, weight with a plate to keep submerged and soak 30 minutes. Drain, tear into smaller pieces, place in a blender jar and add the garlic.

Finishing the Adobo - In a mortar or spice grinder, pulverize the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves and cumin. Add the chiles along with the oregano, thyme, salt, vinegar and 3 Tb water. With a long series of blender pulses, reduce the mixture to a paste. Run the blender for a few seconds until the mixture clogs, then scrape down the sides with a spatula and stir; repeat a dozen times or more until the mixture is smooth. Don't add water unless absolutely necessary or this marinating paste won't do its job well. Strain the paste through a medium-mesh sieve into a noncorrosive container with a tight-fitting lid. Cover and refrigerate.

Considerations: After soaking the chiles, they can be put through a foley food mill to remove the skins and the seeds. Add this puree along with the garlic to the small blender jar and proceed. If this is done, and the mixture is put together in a small blender jar, and pulsed, scraped down, and mixed very well the final sieving can be eliminated. All of the chiles can be Ancho or Guajillo. You can substitute 3 1/2 ounces of California or New Mexican chiles for the above chiles but the flavor will be light.