pepperhead212
Executive Chef
This is a favorite recipe of mine, and all of my Mexican food loving friends. It is based on a recipe from Diana Kennedy's The Art Of Mexican Cooking. The original recipe had grilled tomatoes, but I have made this countless times with canned tomatoes, and it's almost as good; now, they have those canned "roasted" tomatoes, which are great in these, and other Mexican dishes, too. The original recipe only had 12 oz of livers, and only 2 canned chipotles, but I have always doubled it! The livers seem to come in the 20 oz frozen containers now, down from the 24 oz years ago, but I added some okra to this - often it's thick sliced mushrooms. Also, pork liver is good in this, but needs some braising, to tenderize it. But everyone liked the pork liver, for its stronger flavor.
I also put some dried chiles in every time, to add flavor to the canned. And sometimes, to add some more flavor (didn't need it in this sauce), I add some salsa negra - the version from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen - which is an almost black paste of fried moritas and garlic, with some piloncillo. I always keep some of this in the fridge (it keeps forever, due to the sugar) to add that flavor to dishes.
Salsa negra. This really is black! A morita/piloncillo/garlic paste, to add more flavor to a chipotle sauce. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Chicken Livers in Chipotle Sauce
3 canned chipotles (2 more, with vegetables)
4 dried moritas, or 2 chipotle mecos
28 oz can tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste (optional, used when adding vegetables)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 medium onion, sliced thin lengthwise
4 tb oil, divided
Optional: 8 oz okra slices, or mushroom slices, sautéed separately. I usually cook the onion with these.
20 oz chicken livers
A. Toast the moritas or mecos in a dry skillet over medium heat, pressing hard against the skillet, until it crackles, and a little smoke comes up from it. Flip over, and repeat. Soak the peppers in hot water, while preparing other ing.
B. Place the tomatoes and paste (if used), along with the garlic, and the canned and drained chiles in the blender, then blend to a smooth purée. Press through a medium mesh strainer, to remove skins and seeds, unless using a Vitamix or other power blender.
C. Heat 2 tb oil in a wok, or a sauté pan (my favorite pans for frying Mexican sauces), over medium high heat, and add purée. Cook 7-8 min., stirring and scraping constantly, or until very thick - the spatula leaves a track in the pan, when scraping. Remove to a bowl, and clean out pan.
D. Heat 2 tb oil in the pan over medium high heat, until shimmering. Add livers, and sauté about 3 min., stirring several times, then add leftover blood, and boil off quickly. Add the chile paste, and stir until heated through, adding the optional vegetables at the end, to heat through. Scrape into a serving bowl, and serve with toasted corn tortillas, with some shredded cheese, and some cilantro.
Chipotle sauce, cooked down by about a third already. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Chipotle sauce, cooked down to a paste, about 11 min. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Okra, starting to sauté, before adding onions. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Chicken livers added to the oil. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Livers, after cooking about 3 min. on high. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
I also put some dried chiles in every time, to add flavor to the canned. And sometimes, to add some more flavor (didn't need it in this sauce), I add some salsa negra - the version from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen - which is an almost black paste of fried moritas and garlic, with some piloncillo. I always keep some of this in the fridge (it keeps forever, due to the sugar) to add that flavor to dishes.
Salsa negra. This really is black! A morita/piloncillo/garlic paste, to add more flavor to a chipotle sauce. by pepperhead212, on FlickrChicken Livers in Chipotle Sauce
3 canned chipotles (2 more, with vegetables)
4 dried moritas, or 2 chipotle mecos
28 oz can tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste (optional, used when adding vegetables)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 medium onion, sliced thin lengthwise
4 tb oil, divided
Optional: 8 oz okra slices, or mushroom slices, sautéed separately. I usually cook the onion with these.
20 oz chicken livers
A. Toast the moritas or mecos in a dry skillet over medium heat, pressing hard against the skillet, until it crackles, and a little smoke comes up from it. Flip over, and repeat. Soak the peppers in hot water, while preparing other ing.
B. Place the tomatoes and paste (if used), along with the garlic, and the canned and drained chiles in the blender, then blend to a smooth purée. Press through a medium mesh strainer, to remove skins and seeds, unless using a Vitamix or other power blender.
C. Heat 2 tb oil in a wok, or a sauté pan (my favorite pans for frying Mexican sauces), over medium high heat, and add purée. Cook 7-8 min., stirring and scraping constantly, or until very thick - the spatula leaves a track in the pan, when scraping. Remove to a bowl, and clean out pan.
D. Heat 2 tb oil in the pan over medium high heat, until shimmering. Add livers, and sauté about 3 min., stirring several times, then add leftover blood, and boil off quickly. Add the chile paste, and stir until heated through, adding the optional vegetables at the end, to heat through. Scrape into a serving bowl, and serve with toasted corn tortillas, with some shredded cheese, and some cilantro.
Chipotle sauce, cooked down by about a third already. by pepperhead212, on FlickrChipotle sauce, cooked down to a paste, about 11 min. by pepperhead212, on FlickrOkra, starting to sauté, before adding onions. by pepperhead212, on FlickrChicken livers added to the oil. by pepperhead212, on FlickrLivers, after cooking about 3 min. on high. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
