Chipotle in Adobo Puree

Making your own chipotle in adobo is an easy way to bottle instant flavour.

Chipotle is one of those overused ingredients. Chipotle this, chipotle that. There's even a fast food chain using the name. And even when it sounds good on a menu it's usually not. The fast food industry has really latched onto it as well. For a limited time - the super chipotle bacon burger! This month's sandwich special - chipotle pulled pork! It could all be really good but it never seems to turn out that way.

It's too bad because it really is a wonderful flavour. At the risk of labelling myself as boring I use it frequently. Roast pork or chicken with a chipotle gravy. Chili with ancho, new mexican and chipotle pepper puree. Chipotle braised beef ribs. In bean dishes. In soups. In scrambled eggs. In barbecue sauce. All over the place.

You can buy chipotle in adobo in cans and, depending on the brand, they can be pretty good. I like a puree. A puree seems to permeate the final dish better than finely chopped peppers.  You could just puree the ones that come in a can but then you'd be pureeing seeds and that can turn out bitter.

There are two types of chipotles. Chipotle morita are the common one in North America. Chipotle meco are much harder to find. I'm told they are far better but I can't find any...

Recipe 

10-12 chipotle morita
1/2 white onion, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup thick tomato puree (passata) 
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 Tsp salt
1 Tbsp white sugar - you could double this if you like a bit sweet
3 cups water

Stem the chipotles and then either slice them open with a paring knife or cut them lengthwise with scissors (safer) and remove the seeds. Heat a frying pan (cast iron works well here) to medium and toast the chiles two or three at a time until warm and pliable (maybe 10 to 15 seconds on each side). 

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan and simmer partially covered for about one hour or until the liquid has reduced to around 1 cup. Let cool briefly, reserve about 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid, and puree the rest. Use the reserved liquid to adjust the consistency to your preference. 

Store in a mason type jar in the fridge. If you like it, it will keep longer than it takes to use it up.