I think chipotle has become the new pumpkin spice. Every time you turn around there is a new chipotle thing. I think I have even seen chipotle-spiced kale chips. I have also seen chipotle-flavored cream cheese, Tabasco sauce, panko bread crumbs, tofu, tuna, seitan, mashed potatoes and chips and dips of many varieties. And on and on …
Chipotle is basically a smoke-dried jalapeño pepper. When not added to the latest product, it can be found whole dried or in a cute little can called chipotle in adobo sauce.
Despite their overuse in prepared foods, I love the deep, smoky flavor chipotles add to recipes.
I use them in the canned form a lot. I defy anyone to use the contents of a whole can in one recipe, unless you like the feeling of your head exploding. I usually use one pepper to a recipe. I often use them to make barbecue sauce or the ever popular chipotle mayo to spice up sandwiches. There are usually about four or five to a can. So what to do with the leftovers? I chop them up and separate them into even portions of approximately one pepper with sauce and freeze them in Saran Wrap packets.
The other night I used some for a new way to do pork tenderloin — one of my go-to meat choices. Lean and tender as long as it is not overcooked.
I bought two tenderloins and cut each in sort of a spiral lengthwise so that they were more like steak and laid flat.
I saw this done on one of the many cooking shows that I watch.
I then marinated them with my handy dandy portion of chipotle from the freezer. I also added lime juice, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.
I let them sit in a Ziploc bag for an hour or so, and then grilled them like steaks. I served them with avocado and tomato salsa in corn tortillas with grilled onions and peppers and a nice dollop of sour cream on each.
I had bought both the tenderloins on sale for under ten bucks. I think the meat would have served six easily. I served four with leftovers for the next night. I was pleased that it turned out to be such an economical and tasty meal.
If you like spicy, you might as well jump on the chipotle bandwagon and add them to your recipes. Just don’t explode your head.
— LUCY
Love the spiral-cut technique. I’ll have to try that soon.
As for chipotles, they are always hotter than they look, especially in that killer adobo sauce; I store the leftovers in a small container in the fridge which gets forgotten until I discover it months later covered with mold, which I contemplate using to make sourdough bread before another part of my brain says “THROW IT OUT” so I do and then add chipotles in adobo sauce to my shopping list so I can repeat the wasteful process all over again.
When will I ever learn?
—LOU