STUFFED JALEPENOS

Simple, but extraordinary are stuffed jalapenos. Cream Cheese, bacon, green onion, and salt & pepper is all it is. What an explosion of flavor. Of course there is a Chilebrown twist. These will be cooked in the Beehive Oven. I bought this fancy Jalapeno rack a long time ago. It has been more of a kitchen decoration then a cooking utensil. It was time to break it out. Later this summer the jalapenos will be home grown, but for now they were purchased at the local store. The bacon is from Eden Farms. It is a very, very good bacon. It is also special because it was a gift from my Good Friend and Best Man Larry.

The tricky part of this dish is coring the jalapeno. I used a sharp knife and the back of a spoon. There is some fancy device for coring peppers, but I have not tried one yet. Cook your bacon until crisp. Chop it up and mix with cream cheese, chopped green onion, and salt & pepper. Stuff those baby's tight. Bake at 350 degrees for aprox. 15 minutes. Oh Yeah!

CHIPOTLES EN ADOBO

Chipotles en Adobo is an all purpose chile sauce that I cannot live without. I keep a jar in my refrigerator at all times. I can take a little dab and add it to an ordinary dish and it will magically transform into a spectacular dish. Chipotles are ripe jalapenos that has been smoked to a dry stage. The smoking of the pepper preserves and dehydrates. It changes the flavor profile of the jalapeno. It raises the heat level of the pepper from tame to wild. The process of smoking brings out the fruit flavor of the pepper. It can have nuances of chocolate, caramel and even berry's. Chipotles en Adobo is a sauce of reconstituted chipotles and a cornucopia of spices and ingredients. Once it is cooked I blend it all together in a food processor and store it in the refrigerator. It will keep for months.
The first step is to find some chipotles. Every other year I take a couple of days off and smoke my own. I buy 30 to 40 pounds of red (ripe) jalapenos. I preserve them over a very smokey low fire for 24-48 hours. I try to use apple or some other mellow smoking wood. After 48 hours I take them out of the smoker and finish drying them in a dehydrator. I picked up a dehydrator at a garage sale for 5 dollars. Out of 40 pounds of ripe jalapenos you will be left with 4 pounds of chipotle. They will keep for several months stored in your cupboard. I seal some in plastic and freeze them. They will stay great for a couple of years in the freezer.
If you do not have the time or inclination to smoke your own, Tierra Vegetables is a good source to buy chipotle. Of course your local Latin market will carry them. They will even have chipotles en adobo already canned. The canned version is great, but it is not as complex as homemade.

Ingredients

1. 1/4 pound chipotles
2. 4 ancho chiles
3. 2 tomatoes
4. 8 cloves garlic peeled
5. 2 bay leaves
6. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
7. 1 teaspoon oregano
8. 2 sticks cinnamon
9. 3 cloves, crushed
10. 2 cups waster
11. 1 sprig thyme
12. 2 tablespoons olive oil
13. 1 tablespoon brown sugar
14. 2 teaspoons salt
15. 1/ cup cider vinegar

Boil a pot of water.Take pot off of stove and place chilies in boiling hot water and let them rehydrate for 20 minutes. Drain and remove all stems. Reserve 1/2 cup of soaking liquid. Place rehydrate chilies in a large heavy pot and add all ingredients including 1/2 cup of soaking liquid. Simmer for 45 minutes. Take off heat and let cool for 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves and cinnamon. Place mixture in food processor and pulse. Store in refrigerator.

There are so many uses for this chipotle puree. Try adding a dollop to your mayonnaise. Mashed potatoes are a good candidate. Use some sauce in marinating your meats. Add some vinegar and honey and use as a barbeque sauce. Baked beans will never be the same. Kick up your homemade bread with a tablespoon or two. I could go on and on, but I am hungry!

CZECHOSLOVAKIAN BLACK

Czechoslvakian Photo By Biggles

CHILEBROWN'S CHILE PEPPERS

What puts the Chile in Chilebrown? Well today it is the shipment of Chile Peppers I just received. The 'UPS' man left me with a package of Chile Pepper Plants on my front porch. These peppers were hatched by the 'Cross Country Nurseries'. They have a mind boggling selection of different and unusual plants. I wanted to grow a couple of Bhut Joklia peppers. They are the 5 times hotter than the Habanero pepper. I am burning with a capsicum rush already. I also procured these plants; Trinidad Perfume, Czechoslovakian Black, Devils Tongue, Black Prince, Beni Highlands , Aji Rojo and the Peter Pepper.(I will leave the last one to your imagination) This is a line up of heavy hitters. There will be Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight. What will I do with all these exotic peppers? They are beautiful plants. It will be a cornucopia of color in the pepper patch. I will make marinades and salsas. The salsa will be only for the brave. I am trying to perfect my 'Elephant Repellent'. I have had great success. There have been no Elephant raids in the garden.

Let's step back in time and reflect how I became a pepper 'FREAK'. It was in the late 70's, Rex and I went out to dinner before hitting the clubs. We went to the 'Sante Fe Bar & Grill' in Berkeley California. Mark Miller was the chef at the time. We ordered an appetizer of some barbeque skewered beef. The accompaniment was a tiny bit of 'El Yucateco' hot sauce. This sauce was bright green. It had a kick that knocked my socks off. After the burn had subsided, there actually was a great flavor. I was hooked.

This was a gateway sauce, to my burning path, for a Pepper Quest. I am searching for new chile flavors. We have attended Hot Sauce Conventions. There is a pilgrimage to Stockton California every year, to buy a 50 pound sack of roasted "New Hatch Type" peppers. Chili contests have been entered and won. Chile usually makes an appearance in all my dishes. Home made Chipotle is a week long 'Smoking Adventure'. I no longer go for the big burn but will not shy away. Chile Peppers puts the Chile in Chilebrown!!!!!

Thinks he is one Hot Pepper!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!