What always comes to mind at the mere mention of Mexican cuisine? Of course, these are salsa, nachos, quesadilla and spicy chipotle (sauce). The secret of delicious and forever memorable dishes from Mexico is precisely the burning pepper, which the culinary experts of this country add to all their dishes. Surprisingly, among the recipes there are even desserts with red hot pepper.
Chipotle pepper
It is this type of hot pepper that Mexican cuisine is famous for. Recipes with photos will be published below, but for now let's figure out what features chipotle pepper has.
At its core, it is an ordinary chili pepper, only artificially dried in smoke. So the word “chipotle” is translated from Mexican - chili pepper in smoke. It should be noted that the process of obtaining this type of pepper is very long, painstaking and requires some knowledge of the technology.
When the chili matures, it is washed and placed in special chambers with grills. It is in these chambers with the help of natural smoke that the drying process takes place. At home, the process can last about three to five days. On an industrial scale, this pepper is dried using liquid smoke and specialized gas burners, so work is much faster.
Despite the fact that peppers are thermally processed, it retains all vitamins and minerals. This is a fairly high-calorie product. About 280 kilocalories contains one hundred grams of chipotle pepper. Sauce made from such a pepper, of course, will be even more high-calorie.
Chipotle Sauce
The sauce preparation process is very fast. The main thing is to have at hand all the necessary components.
So, the chipotle sauce composition has the following:
- Two teaspoons of chipotle paste (or one small pepper, minced).
- Two tablespoons of sour cream (you can take cream cheese).
- 150 grams of low-fat mayonnaise.
- One teaspoon of hot chili sauce (or a pair of large garlic cloves).
Cooking
We mix all the products in a blender and beat until smooth. In conclusion, add salt, chopped garlic. Spicy chipotle (sauce) is ready.
Now let's figure out in which recipes you can use such a sauce. We will understand the features of the preparation of some dishes, which Mexican cuisine is so famous for. Recipes with photos will help you understand the cooking process and tell you how to serve and arrange the dish.
Chicken quesadilla with chipotle sauce
- Olive oil - two tablespoons.
- Chipotle sauce to taste.
- Wheat cakes (the amount is taken depending on the required number of servings).
- 60 grams of mayonnaise.
- A small onion.
- One large chicken breast.
- Ground black pepper.
- Paprika.
- 400 grams of cheese.
- One tablespoon of wine vinegar.
Olive oil must be thoroughly heated in a pan. Then add the finely chopped onion there and fry. Set aside on a separate plate.
Step Two - Cooking Chicken Breast. Chicken fillet must be washed, dried and cut into portions long slices. To salt. Add ground black pepper, paprika and hot pepper to taste. You can marinate previously in wine vinegar, or you can immediately fry in oil, on which the onion has just been fried. Brown the chicken. Remove from heat. Let cool a little.
We proceed to the formation of the dish. On a wheat cake we put a thick layer of chipotle sauce. This Mexican seasoning will be the main ingredient that determines the taste of the whole dish. Next, put the chicken fillet and fried onions. Add greens (optional) and mayonnaise. Shabby cheese will go on top. It remains only to wrap the cakes and warm them a little on the grill.
Chipotle Vegetarian Burgers
Despite the high calorie content, chipotle (sauce) is very often used in the preparation of dietary or vegetarian dishes. For example, we suggest you make tasty and healthy burgers.
- Buns for burgers.
- Chipotle sauce.
- Lettuce leaves.
- Red onion.
- Two tomatoes.
- Chives.
- Olive oil (if you fry buns).
Buns must be divided into two equal parts. They can be browned in a toaster or fried in olive oil. Spread the chipotle sauce on one part, put the lettuce leaves, tomato slices, red onion cut in half rings. Add a little green onion, salt and pepper on top. Cover with the second half and press. You can put the burger on the grill, or you can eat it like that.
Chicken breast in honey and chipotle sauce
The secret to cooking this dish is a surprisingly delicious and fragrant marinade. The basis of it, of course, is sauce with chipotle pepper.
- Two tablespoons of any BBQ sauce.
- One tablespoon of hot chipotle.
- Two tablespoons of honey.
- Olive oil - three tablespoons.
- Three large cloves of garlic.
- A mixture of peppers and salt.
- Sprig of rosemary.
Mix all the ingredients prepared in advance. Grind the garlic using a press and also add to the marinade. Pickle the chicken for two to three hours.
Now you can cook chicken breasts in any way convenient for you. It can be an oven heated to two hundred degrees (for half an hour). It can be a grill or barbecue. Even frying in a regular frying pan with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil will make chicken breasts amazingly tasty and fragrant.
By the way, chipotle sauce can be used for marinating absolutely any kind of meat, ranging from tender turkey fillet to dry beef, sometimes stiff mutton, pork and even unpretentious rabbit meat.