Merry Christmas to everyone at the end of this 2025 year! This has been an eventful year for the world, and for us at Farmers Chile Market too. Although the world continues to get more complicated, it’s important to get back to what makes us feel good. In my opinion, the best way is through cooking!
A recipe I made
Although I made a few different dishes for this year, the one that I enjoyed the most was a penne arrabiatta, made with chipotle meco. Although many people know about chipotle , this particular variety is not very common in the United States, and especially hard to find elsewhere. Chipotle meco typically uses even more ripe jalapenos than the more common chipotle morita, and is smoked much more too! It results in a very crispy brown pepper that has a bunch of sweet and smokey flavor!
Without further ado, let me talk you through how I made it!
First, I gathered my ingredients, which were:
- 2 cans San Marzano tomatoes, 2 diced romas
- Half a large onion, diced
- 5-6 large cloves of garlic, randomly cut
- 4 chipotle meco peppers
- a block of pork belly, salt cured for 3 days uncovered in refrigerator
- salt, pepper, bay leaves, and an Italian seasoning blend
How I cooked it
First up, I cut the home cured pork belly, or homemade pancetta into small strips about 1 inch wide and 2 inches long. Then I cooked it over high heat to really get the Maillard reaction going, caramelizing the pork and introducing the first smokey elements into the dish.
Next, I took out all the meat, and was left with a nice amount of rendered fat to sautee the onions and garlic. In general, I put the onions in a couple minutes before the garlic, because they take longer to cook. I also kept about 30% of the garlic on the side to add later.
Once the onions and garlic are golden, it’s time to add the chipotle, giving it either a chop or grinding it up with a food processor/coffee grinder. This gets even more of a smokey flavor into the dish!
After a nice stir, it’s time to lower the heat to a medium-low and add the tomatoes, fresh first. Stir them around and get them warmed up a little, then add the canned tomatoes. Wash the cans out with a little water, and pour that in too.
Now add your spices, Italian seasoning, pepper, and bay leaves with a nice stir. Put in the rest of the garlic, and add salt to taste, and put the pancetta back in. In case you want a vegetarian version, just skip the meat entirely and use olive oil for your shortening.
Simmer about 30 minutes, then take it off the heat. You want to reduce the liquid so it’s somewhat dry, then you can add starchy pasta water to revive it when your pasta is almost ready. This step results in a sauce with a better texture, and helps it meld better with the pasta.
When your pasta is ready, you can do it the easy way, which is just pour some sauce over the top of the pasta, or you can cook it al dente and then sautee it with the sauce to make it an even better dish! This is a move that kicks your dish into restaurant quality, and you can do a whole pot at the same time!
