Chipotle Sauce

Printable version

A while back I did a dried chili extravaganza here at Behind the Bites. As a result of having seen the post, Greg Patterson, of SpicesInc.com sent me some samples from his store to try out.

SpicesInc is an on-line spice store with an inventory of any spice imaginable. Not only do they sell spices, but there are recipes for how to use them and a some history of the individual products. I find that very helpful in using them to enhance recipes.

A package of dried chipotle chilies was in the mix of what Greg sent and I thought it was a good time to make chipotle sauce for some tacos.

Instead of using just water to reconstitute the chipotles I thought I could add a little depth of flavor with chicken broth instead. This sauce is very simple to make and it’s awesome on tacos and burritos, but could be used for a number of things like flavoring chili or salsa – or even mixing into a barbecue sauce.

Any dried chili works with this recipe, from the mild ancho chili to the mind blowing habanero, it’s all up to the cook. The chipotle gives this sauce a smoky, hot flavor.

BEHIND THIS BITE
Having a food column in the local paper of the town you live comes with some benefits. One I have experienced is people ask me to cater and cook for events which leads to some nice money on the side. The box of goodies that Greg from SpicesInc sent was my first real benefit of having a food blog on-line. It was very flattering and lots of fun opening the box and rifling through the goodies he sent. I love Mexican cooking, so it couldn’t have worked out better for me that SpicesInc sent a variety of dried chilies and Mexican spices.

Since I left my everyday job in the world of journalism to pursue a career in food I have had little victories that keep me pushing forward. The box of spices in the mail was one of them. It reminds me of when I first got into journalism and received a pay check for my job at the Ball State Daily News.

The check was for $56.

I was in aw, even though that was the pay for two weeks of full-time employment. I just couldn’t believe I was actually getting paid for something I really loved to do. Needless to say, I wasn’t doing it for the money.

I feel that way now and believe I have been doing the finest and most original work of my career. The pay isn’t where I want it and I have a long way to climb, but I believe in the work and have enjoyed doing it more than I think I ever have. It feels right and that is the instinct I have always followed and it never fails to lead me to the place that I should be.

Amazing what a small gift box of spices can do for the big picture.

Special thanks to Greg at SpicesInc!

Eat well, cook often ...