Red Chile Adobo

Two notes: If you fall in love with this adobo, feel free to double the recipe. It keeps for months if refrigerated in a tightly closed jar. And if you like a sweeter, toastier flavor, roast the garlic cloves (still in their papery skins), in a dry skillet over medium heat, turning them regularly until soft and blotchy black in places, about 15 minutes. Cool, peel and blend with the other ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

  • Scant 1/2 cup good-quality ancho chile powder (the amount you’ll get from a typical 2-ounce spice jar)
  • 8 peeled garlic cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Scoop the powdered ancho chile into a blender or small food processor. Bring 1 ¼ cups water to a boil, pour over the chile, loosely cover the blender or secure the top of the processor and pulse to blend thoroughly. In a small microwave-safe bowl, collect the garlic, cover with water and microwave at 100% for 1 minute. Drain and add to the blender or processor, along with the spices, oregano, vinegar and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Process until smooth.