Chipotle = Liberation (synonyms)
Hola mis pedacitos de cielo!
Some of my most successful pedagogies have been passed down to me by my mother in her kitchen, a tradition I always promised myself I would continue with my future babies. I hope you enjoy preparing this dish with your loved ones, whichever geography you call home at the moment, as much as I enjoyed making it with my parents, my friends, and even some of you in the past! From my kitchen to yours, tonight we’re making Chipotle.
DISCLAIMER: I am not a chef :D
Tonight’s Menu
Beverage: Cafe de Canela
Sides: Arroz de Palta, Pan de Ajo, steamed veggies
Entree: Chipotle
Dessert: Arroz con Leche
Beverage:
I use a stovetop espresso maker to make my coffee— this is how I was taught to make it.
Canelita
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup water
two cinnamon sticks
Instructions:
In a medium-sized pot, add and bring water to a boil, then add cinnamon sticks. Close the lid and reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and wait until your water browns, then turn off your stove.
Wait for your canelita to cool down (seriously, wait, it will be hot, it will burn you, just wait a bit), and then add your canelita to the lower part of your espresso maker.
Coffee mixture: I use whatever ground coffee is available, but then I add cinnamon and nutmeg. There are no measurements here, but do not use too much nutmeg if you are unfamiliar with it, a little goes a long way.
Once your canelita is cooled down, and you’ve secured your coffee mixture inside your espresso’s filter funnel, make sure to just leave it on medium-low and let it do its thing.
While you wait, add a bit of brown sugar to the bottom of your coffee mug and mix that shit up with the beginning droplets that come out of your espresso maker. It should be a paste-like consistency. Yes, yes it does make a difference.
Don’t forget to turn off the stove!
**Make sure to give a shout-out and thanks to your Cuban community for this marvelous contribution to the art of making and drinking coffee.
Sides: Arroz de Palta, Pan de Ajo, steamed veggies
Arroz de Palta
Ingredients:
2 cups of rice (seriously, wash your rice)
1/2 of a teeny tiny avocado
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/2 tablespoon of chicken bouillon
1 tablespoon of avocado oil (if using a pan)
1 cup of chicken broth
2.5 cups of water
Instructions for rice cooker:
WASH. YOUR. RICE.
Using a blender, blend all your ingredients with warm water and chicken broth.
When finished blending, make sure you run your sauce through a strainer before you add it into your rice cooker with your WASHED rice. It will be thicker in consistency and that is okay!
Finally, proceed to follow the instructions for your specific rice cooker.
Instructions for cooking your rice on the stove:
WASH. YOUR. RICE.
Toast your rice with avocado oil until golden brown
Add the water mixture, bring to a boil, and reduce heat.
Cover your pan and let it simmer over low heat for about 15-20 minutes then turn off your stove and let it do its thing, water gotta evaporate from the pan and you can put a towel between the lid of the pan and rice, and let that sit for 8-10 minutes to allow the towel to absorb more moisture and steam. Once that is done, enjoy. (:
Pan de Ajo, steamed veggies: Sometime in the near future I will teach you how to make bread from scratch. For now, head to your local store for some bread, garlic butter spread, and follow their instructions and steam your veggies AFTER YOU PROPERLY WASH THEM.
Entree:
Chipotle
Ingredients:
Chicken thighs
4-5 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (6-8 for spice)
1/4 cup mustard
1/2 tablespoon of black pepper
2 cups of water
Instructions:
WASH. YOUR. CHICKEN.
Blend your peppers, mustard, black pepper, and water; pour it over the chicken and cook on medium heat until it begins to boil.
Reduce to medium-low heat and occasionally turn the chicken over. Wait until the sauce is thick, I promise it is worth the wait.
Once done, I like to use some of the sauce to pour over the rice.
One day a long time ago someone added soy sauce to the rice and now I really can’t think of this dish without it. Geographies are funny that way. (:
Chipotle has been a household dish for many many generations. It is a traditional dish that can be traced back to Oaxaca. Using the least amount of ingredients and the cheapest of meats is intentional, this is a delicacy and I hope that you enjoy every little flavor this dish has to offer. Admittedly, the dish has had some additions throughout generations and geographies, but the recipe itself remains the same. I have enjoyed making it for some of you so much, and I hope you share pictures of your versions with me someday!
Dessert:
Arroz con Leche
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of rice
3 cups of water
1 cup of milk
4 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup condensed milk
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 piloncillo cone
Cinnamon for topping
Instructions:
On medium-low, pour 1-2 tablespoons of water along with your piloncillo cone into your pot and let it melt into syrup. When done, pour the syrup into a safe container.
In that same pot, pour in your water, waiting for it to boil before adding in your cinnamon sticks. This is important: make canelita. I promise, waiting is worth it and this is why you have a playlist, to help speed up time.
WASH. YOUR. RICE.
Once your canelita is finished and still boiling, add your rice and milk to the pot and let that simmer on medium to low for a while, stirring occasionally.
When rice has softened, add your condensed and evaporated milk, stirring and making sure nothing boils over (make sure you don’t make a mess; the aftermath is sticky!)
Finish up by mixing in your piloncillo syrup and don’t forget to turn off your stove before you start serving. (:
I hope you all enjoy these dishes as much as I enjoyed growing up with them, don’t forget to share your pictures with me if you ever give these dishes a try!
Stay hydrated,
Diotimaology
