Robust, with a wonderful balance of sweet and dry spices, mild to medium heat level, and a beautiful richness tempered with just a bit of acidity. This paste can form the base for many many recipes, enchilada sauce, coney sauce, chili, BBQ sauce, add a touch to beans or refritos, use it to kick up some bland salsa, smear some in your tamales, or add it to a bechamel for an insanely yum fusion pasta dish….the possibilities are endless and having some on hand in the freezer can make for some almost instant meals later on.
There are quite a few components to this one, but really the prep time isn’t too bad and goes quicker than you think. Plus, it barely takes any more time to create a double (or triple) batch, as most of the prep time is measuring. Let’s talk about the dry chiles first, you can use whatever blend of chiles you prefer, i would highly recommend using at least three different kinds in order to get a more complex flavour. Typically i use a combo of ancho, california, guajillo, new mexico, and pasilla, which gives a nice balance of heat and fruitiness, along with some nice nutty notes. Keep in mind when choosing your chiles that sweet smoked paprika and chipotle are already in the recipe separately, so unless you want your chili very smoky, you may want to avoid more smoked chiles.
Fresh red bell peppers bring in some acidity, sweetness, and freshness, while contributing to a smoother mouthfeel in the end. Miso and tomato paste bring some extra umami, as does the vegetable broth which also provides the bulk of the liquid. Allspice and clove bring sweet spice notes and help to round out flavours, bay leaves bring in some light nutty tea notes, coriander for bright citrus flavours, peppercorns and cinnamon for dry warmth, thyme and mexican oregano for some much needed herbal notes, cumin for earthiness, onion and garlic for sweetness and a little body, and finally cocoa powder for depth and richness.
Once your measuring is done, the hardest part is over, the rest is pretty easy. The chiles get toasted and soaked to soften them, everything gets blended and then cooked down for a bit and you’re done! It really is surprisingly easy and again, feel free to double or triple (maybe even quadruple) your batch and throw it in the freezer for later, it keeps for at least 6 mos in there and you’ll have it on hand for next time.
In order to keep things consistent for use in recipes, after your paste reaches the point where it’s thick enough to hold shape when your spoon (or whatever stirring device you’re using) is pulled through it you’re going to dilute it with water to a set amount (2 cups for a single a batch), this will make sure your paste is the same concentration every time, so you don’t have to finagle and tinker with the amounts further down the line to get the same results in your other recipes. Also, a final blending after cooking can help give you an even smoother texture, but this step is completely optional, don’t feel like you HAVE to do it, maybe you like yours a little more textural, that’s perfectly good. Go for it.
As a last note, keep in mind if you make larger batches that your cooking time for the paste will increase because of the larger volume, choosing your widest and shallowest pan will help to speed things up (greater surface area and higher evaporation rate) so use my times listed as guidelines and starting points, not absolutes, you are going for a certain level of thickness here, that’s the important part.