New Year’s Eve eats at the Hot Knives hearth means stuff you can easily dip or grab in between sweaty, whiskey-spitzed brit-dance hits and afro-beat freak-out jams where every partygoer in the house grabs a metal bowl and slotted spoon and starts banging. Yep that’s what we’ll be doing tonight. But not before celebrating over some soul-strengthening posole and good-luck black eyed peas.
But back to our dance dip: an everyday pico de gallo just did not sound appealing. We craved something a little more mole-like. So, armed with little more than our normal pantry fixings and an organic, unsweetened chocolate bar, we managed to forge a creamy, dark spiced hot pepper sauce that’s perfect for slamming with thick corn chips… a true capsicum-fueled dance sustenance. Happy New Year!
(Makes 2 cups)
4-5 tomatoes
6 red jalapeno peppers
2 pasillo peppers
1 red onion
1 Tbs. canola oil
3 oz. dark chocolate
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbs. almond butter
7-oz can chipotle peppers (in adobo sauce)
2 tsp. Agave nectar
1/4 tsp. fresh nutmeg
1 tsp sea salt
1. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut the tomatoes in half and place them in a shallow roasting pan that’s been rubbed lightly with canola oil. Slice your red jalapeno and pasillo peppers and scrape out the seeds. Throw them in as well with a halved red onion. Sprinkle pinches of seas salt on top. Place the pan in oven and roast for about 20 minutes.
3. Create a double boiler by putting a stockpot filled with water on the stove over high heat. Place a small mixing bowl on top of the pot. Once the water nears a bowl, begin combining sweet ingredients. Break off pieces of dark chocolate and add it to the bowl followed by cinnamon and almond butter. Stir or whisk once the chocolate melts. Open the can of chipotle peppers and pour out 2 tablespoon of the sauce they come in: add this to the bowl and continue to stir. Once thoroughly mixed, add agave nectar to sweeten and fresh grated nutmeg. Lower the burner to a simmer.
4. Check on your roasting pan. The tomatoes should be mushy to the touch and peppers should be slightly shriveled but not black. Remove and rest until cool enough to handle.
5. Using a blender, food processor or handheld mixer, pulse the various roasted peppers and toms together (skins OK). Add a few canned chipotle peppers to this mix using the following proportions for spice guidance (2 = medium, 5 = hot, 8 = insane-o). Now add the sweet mixture and continue mixing. Pulse for a few minutes and add one tablespoon of water if mixture seems too thick. You want a smooth, creamy red paste that just barely sways in a serving dish. Add salt to taste.
Beverage: Telegraph Winter Warmer
Soundtrack: Brian Eno’s “Here Come the Warm Jets”
HOLY
Oh wow!!