Re: [CH] recipe needed
Inagaddadavida (rael@ebicom.net)
Sat, 15 Aug 1998 04:19:27 -0500
Twas Writ:
>Question is, what to do with them. I'll freeze some for later, but I want to
>cook some up into a sauce. I need a recipe for a very simple sauce that
>won't overpower the delicate flavour of the habs. Every time I try a sauce
>from scratch, as it were, something goes wrong and it generally turns into
>chutney. I want a sauce that is thick enough to coat (I might just use
>cornflour) and sweet, not too acidic, and doesn't need garlic or too many
>spices to hold itself up.
Seems you are looking for a simple puree or possibly a coulis of some sort.
Personally, I'd work with small batches so as you can experiment freely,
i.e. won't commit all/most of your chiles to one recipe (that could go
wrong <g>).
You could roast (whole, de-stemmed) a few of the chiles and then puree them
up with equal(+) amounts of raw chiles; could roast off some onion as well
to be included in the pureeing. Simply season with salt/pepper; maybe a
bit of vinegar if you enjoy/want that flavor (I wouldn't...ain't fond of
vinegar). You may also add fresh herbs such as cilantro or parsley, or
maybe some toasted cumin.
You could make some chile butter to have on-hand (freeze). Simply roast
some of the chiles (and you could include a roasted bell pepper as well for
additional sweetness) and combine with some softened butter. I belive a
ratio of 1:2 (chile/butter) is the norm. You may want to de-seed the
chiles...may not want to :)
Shape the chile butter into a "log" in plastic wrap so as you can cut
medallions of the butter as you need them, straight from the freezer.
Could be used on/with various meats, vegetables, whipped/finished into
basic cream sauces.
If you have access to tomatillos, you could try a basic tomatillo sauce.
Here's one from a "sauce bible" I have:
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yield: 2 c/500ml
1 # / 500 grams fresh/canned tomatillos
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled/chopped
2 small hot peppers, seeded/chopped [adjust to your desire, obviously]
3 TBSP / 45 ml olive oil
4 TBSP / 60 g chopped cilantro
If using fresh tomatillos, remove the papery sheath from the outside. If
using canned, drain them. Chop the tomatillos coarsely.
Sweat the onion, garlic, and hot peppers in the oil for 10 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatillos, and stew the mixture until they are completely
soft.
Add the chopped cilantro, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
NOTE: for smoother, more refined sauce, strain the mixture and finish it
with a bit of heavy cream before adding the cilantro.
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Well, that's all the ideas I have for this early in the morn...well, it's
morning for me, that is...
Peace, Hendrix, and Chiles.......
Rael64
Mississippi Redneck
Monk of the TCS
Order of Immaculate Twister
Keeper of the Faith
and a Towel...