Harissa Hot sauce Chipotles in adobo Sambal oelek Sriracha Wasabi Turn Up the heat Serve suppers with a kick when you cook with flavor-packed, spicy ingredients. want to crank up the flavor in your weeknight meals? Reach for a bottle of Sriracha or a jar of sambal oelek the next time you’re at the store. Spicy sauces like these bring a lot to the table. The dishes here feature pepper- and mustard-based ingredients that, when used in the right amounts, will not overwhelm with fire but give meals a flavorful bump. 32 cookfresh summer 2017
spicy chipotle shrimp, avocado, and corn fajitas Arrange the fajitas and fixings on a buffet table, bar style, for casual entertaining, or serve the components on various platters at the table. Serves 4 1 lb. shrimp (26 to 30 per lb.), peeled and deveined 4 Tbs. olive oil 1 tsp. chili powder Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large Haas avocado (about 1/2 lb.), cut into 1/2-inch dice 1 chipotle, minced, plus 1 Tbs. adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles in adobo) 1 lime, half juiced (about 1 Tbs.) and half cut into wedges 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 3 cups) 1 large clove garlic, minced 1 cup frozen corn, thawed, or the kernels from 2 ears corn 8 corn tortillas, warmed 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro Toss the shrimp with 1 Tbs. of the oil, the chili powder, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. In a medium bowl, mash the avocado with the chipotle and adobo sauce, lime juice, and 1/4 tsp. salt. heat 11/2 Tbs. oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over mediumhigh heat until shimmering. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, until they turn pink and become just firm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. reduce the heat to medium, and add the remaining 11/2 Tbs. oil to the pan. Add the onion, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt, and cook, stirring, until the onion softens and starts to brown, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the corn and shrimp, and cook, stirring, until they heat through, about 2 minutes. Let your guests help themselves by spreading the avocado on a warm tortilla and topping the spread with some of the shrimp mixture, a squeeze of lime juice, and a sprinkling of the cilantro. chipoTLeS in aDobo When you want to add a hit of hot, smoky flavor to your cooking, reach for a can of chipotle chiles in adobo. Chipotles are dried, smoked jalapeños. Adobo is a tangy, slightly sweet red sauce. Put them together in a can and they become a versatile pantry staple. You can use just the chipotles for intense smoky chile heat or just the sauce if you want a sour-sweet flavor and a slightly less fiery smoky heat. Or you can use them together, as in the recipe above. The chipotles are soft and ready to go straight from the can. They can be quite spicy, but you can temper the heat a bit by scraping out the seeds. The size of chipotles often varies, so if a recipe calls for two chipotles and you choose the biggest one, you might want to use just one. To store, transfer unused chiles and sauce to an airtight container— preferably glass, as the sauce tends to stain plastic—and refrigerate for about a month. fInecookIng.com 33