Mexican Adobo Sauce Recipes

MEXICAN ADOBO SAUCE

Steps:

• Pour the 4 quarts of water in a large pot and heat to medium/low heat on back burner.
• Line a large skillet with foil paper and preheat to medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, serrano peppers, onion and garlic cloves. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, turning as needed, until you get some nice browning. Remove from heat and let cool.
• While the tomato mixture is cooking, on the other side preheat a large griddle pan to medium heat for 3 minutes. Add chile ancho, guajillo or California, and japones peppers to the hot griddle. Toast the peppers for no more the 3 to 4 minutes, turning often, or they will burn and become bitter. Remove from heat and transfer to pot with hot water. Turn the heat slightly to bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes. Drain the water and transfer the peppers to the blender. Let cool for 10 minutes.
• Remove the skins from the garlic and add them to the blender. Add all of the remaining ingredients to the blender, including the 1 cup of reserved water. Blend on the highest speed until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more water. Taste for salt. Let the adobo sauce cool completely before storing. It will keep in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks to 4 months in the freezer.

EASY ADOBO SAUCE

Steps:

• Wipe off any dusty crevasses on the chilis using a damp towel. De-stem and de-seed the chilis, but don't worry about getting rid of every last seed.
• I put the chilis in a 400F oven for 1-2 minutes to awaken some dormant flavors; you could also flash them on a hot, dry skillet for 15-30 seconds in place of the oven.
• Add the chilis to a bowl and cover them with hot tap water. Let them reconstitute for 20-30 minutes. If they float to the surface you can use a small plate or bowl to keep them submerged.
• Drain the chilis and add them to a blender, along with the remaining ingredients listed above. Update: I've been adding 2-3 chipotles in adobo lately for some heat, but you can consider this optional.
• Combine well; ideally you want a thick, paste-like substance so we are adding just enough liquid to get there. If it won't combine you can add another splash of water.
• Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge. It should also freeze quite well.

BASIC ADOBO RECIPE

Steps:

• Toast the chiles in the oven for 2 minutes or until fragrant being careful not to burn.
• Place the toasted chiles in a sauce pan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil on medium heat covered for 15 minutes.
• Place the chiles (stems removed) in the blender reserving the water they were inches Add in all the other ingredients and blend on high to make a fairly thick paste. Add some of the reserved water if needed to thin the sauce out.
• Marinate your choice of meat in this paste for 6-8 hours and then grill the meat or you can pour the paste and reserved water in a large stock pot with the meat. Add additional water to cover the meat and slow cook it for 3-4 hours in the pot.