COOKING WITH DRIED CHILES

This month I'm going to deal with a deep-seated primal fear shared by many Americans. I am, of course referring to the almost universal reluctance of American cooks to make any salsa requiring the use of dried chiles. It's a damn shame because these salsas are probably the very easiest to make. Virtually every Mexican restaurant in the world and most Mexican households has a bowl of red salsa (made from dried chiles) sitting on the table. The reason we are reluctant to make these salsas, I think, is because all those self-acclaimed 'celebrity chefs' have made it seem so damn complicated they tell you to weigh out 31/2 grams of organically grown guajillo chiles from some damn mail order yuppie food nazi in New Mexico or to use only the shiniest first growth pasillas - or use only bright red Anchos from a little farm just outside of Tucson. Then they want you to hand grind these dried chiles in your $400 spice grinder. BULLSHIT!! That's right - it's all bullshit. These jerks think that if they make it seem real complicated then you will think they are really cool. I don't know about you, but I don't even own a spice grinder and I manage to put out about 30 salsas a day, every day. So trust me, these salsas are easy, easy, easy to make. A real no brainer. thick or thin, hot or mild, ranging in color from orange through all the shades of red to almost black. The last time I was in the U.S. I was surprised to find dried chiles in almost every super Market. Here's a short list of the dried chiles I use the most.

Chiles de Arbol

Arbol is the Spanish word for tree. I'm guessin' that they got there name because the bush they grow on resembles a miniature tree. These chiles are two to three inches long, thin, red, and quite hot, similar to cayenne chiles. They can be bitingly hot without much distinctive flavor. When first formed the chile is bright green, but with maturity turns bright red. The experts say the arbol may be used either fresh, green or red, or dried when mature, but I have never even seen the fresh arbols for sale. the dried chiles are available almost everywhere. I think these are the same chiles that are sold as chile flakes and found in shakers on the table at most pizza places. I also think that this is the chile used in most Asian dishes especially szechuan. It is also used to make Chinese Hot Oil. Chile de Arbol is 2 to 3 inches long and ranges in color from orange to deep red. The chile de arbol is 25,000 Scoville units (The Scoville scale is used to measure the relative heat of chiles and 25,000 units is hotÑa jalapeno runs from 2500 to 10000 units. It will add a natural, grassy flavor to dishes. In pod form the de arbol is often used to flavor oils and vinegars. As a powder the chile de arbol is great in soups and chilis.

Guajillo

These chiles are called mirasol when fresh, although I have never seen a fresh one, These dried brown-orange to purple-red chiles are 4-6 inches long and 1 inch wide when fresh Dried they have a dark-almost black dusty look. Among the most common chiles in Mexico, the Scoville scale shows it at 5,000 units, but I think it is actually milder and will add a sweet piney, green-tea flavor which is excellent in pesto sauce or with seafood. Also see Anaheim and Mirasol. We use it (with the seeds and veins removed, to add a bright red color to the broth in Pozole, Mancha Manteles and Tortilla soup. We also use this ubiquitous chile to make a red table sauce

Pasilla

The true pasilla is thin, dark green when fresh, and dark brown to black when dried, 5-7 inches long by 1 inch wide, tapering and narrow, with a blunt end. Its Scoville rating is 2,500 units. When fresh, they are used for rellenos in many parts of Mexico, although here in Baja we use Poblanos. As a matter of fact I have never seen fresh pasillas for sale and I tahink that the dried pasillas we get are actually poblanos. In any event I think you can use pasillas and poablanos interchangeably . Pasillas are mainly used dried or powdered and possess a complex, deep, smoky raisin flavor sometimes described as a licorice flavor similar to the ancho, poblano, or mulato chiles. They are excellent in seafood or moles. In Baja California, where much produce is grown and then shipped throughout the United States, the poblano is labeled as pasilla. Consequently, in California markets one can find two types of chiles vying for the name pasilla: the true pasilla as described above, and the poblano, which is a heavier, more broad-shouldered cousin. The pasilla is used in meat entrees, tamales and quesadillas. Dried, under the name of negro chile, it renders a thick, rich, dark sauce. Substitute poblanos for pasillas; they are both mild to medium hot. (also called chilaca chile or, when dried, chile negro...

And now...

Preparing the dried chiles

The method for preparing the chiles is exactly the same for all of the chiles. Wash them off in cold water. Remove the woody stems. Cut or tear the chiles into small pieces and cover with hot water. Let them soak for an hour or so. That's it! All the preparation you need is done. I generally leave the seeds in but I like rustic, textured salsas. If you want something shinier and a little more elegant - remove the seeds. This will also make for a milder salsa.

Making the salsa

Take the soaked chiles and put them in a blender and blend them adding some of the water they were soaking in to get the consistency you like. That's it!! You now have a simple basic red table salsa. If you used guajjillo chiles it should be a bright red. If you used pasilla chiles it will be Dark red to Black. If you would like a fancier salsa there are a couple of more things you can do. Throw a ripe red tomato, a clove of garlic, oregano and some raw onion into the blender with the chiles. It sounds funny but then you fry the salsa. Add the blended mix to a lightly oiled skillet (Mexican cooks like to use a little lard) and cook it for 5 or so minutes. If you want that shiny more elegant salsa you should peel and deseed the tomato. For those of you who don't already know - here's how you peel and deseed a tomato. Have a pot of water boiling on the stove. Drop the tomato into the boiling water. Ripe thin skinned tomatoes only need about ten seconds - Thick skinned puppies can take up to a minute. Remove the tomato from the water... when it's cool enough to touch, cut it in half. The skin should come right off. Then give the half tomato a little squeeze and the seeds should squirt right out. Let me know how it turns out.