Guajillo Chile Vanilla Barbecue Sauce

A slow and steady burn of dried chilies, the perfumed aroma of whole vanilla beans, a savory background of tomatoes and vinegar. Achievable. Incredible. 

It's all possible when you make your own BBQ sauce. Long gone are the days that condiments are mandated to come from a squeeze bottle.

Just looking at the ingredients on the back of a store-bought BBQ sauce will cause you to reconsider the convenience of them. The first three ingredients are usually corn syrup, sugar, and tomato paste. 

Shameful.

Making your own BBQ sauce not only allows you to control the sugar content, it allows you to create a depth of flavor that store bought squeeze sugar can't compare too.

There are many different recipes and combinations for barbecue sauce. Depending on the region you are from, you may be more prone to a vinegar heavy sauce or maybe even a mustard based sauce. I'm not here to tell you which one is the most authentic, I'm just here to offer you the best recipe available - this one.

It's the perfect summer-autumn transition. Loathe to let go of summer, but embracing of the cool crunchy weather of fall, this BBQ sauce will caress you like your favorite hoodie, comforting your sunburnt mind as it readies itself for cooler nights and a serious lack of beach. Pretend it's not September while you make cedar plank salmon slathered with this sauce from the gods. 

There are a lot of ingredients in this sauce because we are creating LAYERS of flavor. As a matter of fact, it's DEPTH AND AWESOMENESS that you're tasting here. It's a savory vanilla sauce that will make people love you. It's practically begging to be added to a Bloody Mary.

Here you are. Set yourself free.

Guajillo Vanilla Barbecue Sauce

makes approx 2 - 3 cups

3 Guajillo Chiles

1 Vanilla Bean

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbls. tomato paste

1/2 cup crushed tomatoes

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp yellow mustard seeds

1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

3 cloves garlic chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup boiling water

1 tbls. butter

Salt to taste

1. Set the water to boil and take the stems out of your chilies. Steep the chilies in a bowl in the boiling water, covered, for 15 minutes.

2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter, and add the garlic and onions. Cook until soft and translucent - about 5 - 7 minutes.

3. If your spices aren't already ground, go ahead and do that while the onions cook. Add them to the onion mixture and let cook about 1 minute. Smells awesome so far right?

4. Add everything except the vanilla and the chilies to the pan. Add about 1 tsp. salt. Stir.

5. Cut the vanilla bean in half and slit it down the sides so that you can see the seeds inside. Scrape them directly into the sauce. Add all that jazz into the saucepan.

6. Put all the chilies and their liquid into a blender, and blend on high for 1 minute. Add this to the sauce pan.

7. Bring to a boil, then turn down to low, and let it simmer for about 45 minutes.

8. Squeeze whatever you can from the vanilla beans and then throw them out. Pour the sauce into the blender and blend on high for 2 minutes.

9. Strain through a coarse strainer - really, you're just getting rid of the larger bits of Guajillo seeds. They are edible, but unpleasant to chew. (It's BBQ sauce, not chunky ragu)

That's it. You've made the best condiment in your fridge. You're halfway to perfect pulled pork. You're one step closer to BBQ bliss. You're the star of your own show.

Fennel Haters Need Not Apply

Under-appreciated by licorice haters everywhere, fennel gets a bad rep.  It's an incredibly versatile vegetable that can be eaten raw, roasted, braised, grilled, sauteed, stewed - the list goes on.

Seriously, the raw bulb is crunchy and slightly spiced, perfect for fall salads with apples and walnuts or any combination of fruit, nut, vegetable. They'll be a few salad suggestions to follow.


Roasted fennel takes on a sweetness that cuts the licorice edge that so many haters hate on.

In fact, I roasted some fennel and cipollini onions with coriander and lemon. Here is a picture. I'll eat it with grilled pork chops, or leftover roast lamb, or oily, full-flavored fish. Or whatever, it's awesome, you get the point right? (Actually I'm having it with merguez sausage, dbj.)

I've enjoyed the compilation posts thus far (blueberry, tomato) and I think I'll continue with another fantastic ingredient, and one that seldom gets the recognition it deserves.

Fennel!

First up, soups and salads, appetizers and such.

Fennel Apple Spritzer - Because we're adults and this doesn't have to be nonalcoholic. I suggest clear Rum, but by all means experiment. Applejack, whiskey, tequila?

Carrot and Fennel Soup - A great intro for those that can't take the full fennel plunge. The sweetness of the carrots helps curb the fennel's bite.

Pickled Fennel - Because it wouldn't be my blog unless something was pickled

Quinoa, Fennel, Pomegranate salad - This is for the ladies (come on, quinoa/pomegranate) and the vegans, and the people that make a shitload of one thing and eat it for lunch for a week and want others to be jealous. Lunch people should poach chicken or fry sausage patties in addition.

Fennel, Sunchoke, Apple salad - Wait, salad? Oh yeah, throw some pork on this, and serve it at a fancy dinner party. People won't believe that you know what sunchokes are. (Oh you don't? Here's some info)

Alright, so you've met my friend fennel, and you're ready to invite him to some parties. Cause, you know, he's such a cool guy.

Corn and Fennel Ragu - Comfort food style, you know. Just the word Ragu sounds good. Serve this with hot smoked salmon (aka kippered) and maybe some polenta cakes.

Cornish Game Hens - Everybody loves little chickens. Also Meyer lemons which have just come into season make this especially good.

Roasted Squash and Fennel - Sometimes you need to know the basics, this will help you build the dishes that will wow yourself and those lucky enough to join you. And because you want to make an awesome side dish for your lamb, or those frisky vegetarians that are making baked artichokes.

Flavorful Tomato sauce - This is for fun pasta shapes like fusilli, orrechiette, and farfalle. Kid shapes and grown-up sauce.

Alright so you wanna get real on these people. You want to wow them in ways that they didn't even know were possible.


Monkfish with Fennel and Garlic - Because Monkfish is delicious and seldom used by home cooks. Don't be afraid. Embrace.

Octopus with fennel - Fennel and seafood pair so wonderfully, and nobody ever cooks octopus. This will make you feel sophisticated and Mediterranean. Your friends will ask if you learned this in Europe, and you can lie about visiting Crete. Only for the truly badass.

Grilled Fresh Sardines with Fennel and Preserved Lemon - Yeah that's right. You're probably already salivating.

Anyone still have room for dessert?

Apple and Caramelized Fennel Tart - It's a perfect fall/winter dessert.

Bonus Recipe!

Roasted Fennel with Cipollini onions.

One Large fennel bulb
about six cipollini onions
1 tsp. coriander seeds
juice of 1/2 a lemon
zest from 1/2 a lemon
olive oil (to coat)
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Cut the fennel in half vertically. Take out most of the core. Cut into strips, try and keep them attached, you want them to be relatively thick. Save some fronds for garnish.

Cut the cipollini's in half so that each half has a little bit of the root end. Take off the skin, but leave the root so that they stay connected.

Toss fennel, onions, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and coriander together until everything is coated.

Place on a foil lined cookie sheet and roast for 30-40 minutes or until soft and colorful.
Garnish with zest and reserved fronds.

Serve with pork chops or oily fish (mackerel, sardines, etc.)

Later Haters!

An Autumnal Feast

Fall has succeeded in sneaking up on us again, marked by the cold, windy days, and the changing leaves.
That means it's time to start eating like it.
Several months ago I purchased a 7 pound leg of lamb. Vacuum packaging can do wonders in a freezer. As the freezer filled up with ribs, chicken, ice cream, and waffles, the 7 pound roast lay dormant. Purchased for half price it was a "cannot pass up" opportunity at only $20 but with no initial direction.

I had great plans for the leg, but they fell by the wayside as the months rolled on. almost 6 months in the freezer and the beast lie waiting. I planned a great birthday feast only to go out for dinner for two. Until finally I had had enough.

Nearby my apartment and on the Hood College campus, there are a triad of chestnut trees. The three gave off chestnuts all of September as squirrels and children collected the bounty. Realizing that this would be an excellent opportunity to: A get free food and B try to roast my own chestnuts; I collected a few every time I walked by, and soon I had a nice collection.

Unsure of their taste, I roasted about 7 in the oven to eat out-of-hand. Delicious. A combination of sweet potato and scallops but not too much of either, the waxy, light flesh of the nuts was quite a surprise and not overpowering.

I set up a date to make the lamb and invited a friend to join.

It was my first time butterflying a leg, but it was easier than I expected. The bone came out clean, the cuts precise. Mashed chestnuts seemed to be a fitting accompaniment for the roast. With only lamb, chestnuts and mint jelly, two of us sat down to a feast.

The leftovers have been delicious.