Adobo Conventual de Vigilia

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Dry cast iron comal for toasting chiles
• •Volcanic stone metate with tejolote, or a high-powered blender and fine-mesh strainer
• •Barro rojo cazuela or heavy saucepan
• •Wooden spoon
• •Glass jars for resting and storing the adobo

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the chiles

   Wipe the ancho and guajillo chiles with a dry cloth. Remove the stems, seeds, and loose veins. Do not rinse them. Water steals the first fragrance from the chile before the comal has done its work.

2. 2

   Toast the chiles

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the ancho chiles one at a time, about 20 to 30 seconds per side, until they soften, darken slightly, and smell like raisins and warm tobacco. Toast the guajillos faster, 10 to 15 seconds per side, because their skin is thinner. They should puff in spots, not blacken.

   Burned guajillo tastes bitter and sharp. If a chile turns black, throw it out. The convent cooks were disciplined because waste was expensive, but bad chile ruins the whole adobo.
3. 3

   Soak with vinegar

   Place the toasted chiles in a bowl. Cover with hot water, not boiling, and let them soften for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the soaking liquid. Return the chiles to the bowl and pour the vinegar over them for 10 more minutes. This is vigilia adobo. The vinegar gives preservation, brightness, and the old cloister taste.

4. 4

   Toast the aromatics

   On the same comal, toast the sesame seeds until golden and fragrant, shaking constantly. Remove them before they brown too far. Toast the unpeeled garlic and onion slices until the garlic skins blister and the onion edges char in places. Peel the garlic. Toast the cumin, cloves, peppercorns, and canela for a few seconds only, just until their smell rises.

5. 5

   Grind the paste

   On a metate, grind the toasted spices first with the oregano, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and piloncillo. Add the sesame, garlic, and onion, working them into a thick paste. Add the soaked chiles a few pieces at a time, moistening with small spoonfuls of vinegar and soaking liquid as needed. If using a blender, blend in batches until completely smooth, then pass through a fine-mesh strainer. El metate es la regla, but a strained blender paste is honest work when the grind is careful.

6. 6

   Fry without lard

   Heat the neutral oil in a barro rojo cazuela or heavy saucepan over medium-low. Add the chile paste carefully. It will sputter. Stir with a wooden spoon for 8 to 10 minutes, until the paste darkens from brick red to deep garnet and begins to cling to the spoon. No lard. This is the Lenten rule. La manteca es el sabor, yes, but discipline is also a flavor.

7. 7

   Simmer the adobo

   Stir in enough reserved soaking liquid to make a thick, brushable sauce. Simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring often so the sesame does not catch on the bottom. Taste for salt and vinegar. The adobo should be tangy, earthy, and slightly sweet at the back, with the ancho giving body and the guajillo keeping the color clean.

8. 8

   Rest before using

   Transfer the adobo to a glass jar and let it cool. Refrigerate at least overnight before using. The chiles, vinegar, garlic, and spices need time to settle into one voice. Brush it over firm white fish, salted cod after soaking, shrimp, or vegetables before roasting or stewing. This recipe is the sauce. The plate it dresses belongs elsewhere.

Chef Tips

• •Buy chiles that are flexible, glossy, and fragrant. If the ancho cracks like old paper, leave it at the stall. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado. They know which vendor has fresh stock.
• •Pineapple vinegar gives a softer, fruitier acidity than plain white vinegar and is very good here. If you use white vinegar, choose a mild one. Harsh industrial vinegar makes the adobo taste thin.
• •Do not add tomato. This is not a tomato adobo. The color comes from chile ancho and guajillo, and the body comes from sesame and the grind.
• •For vigilia, use neutral oil only to fry the paste. Do not use lard in this sauce. The absence is part of the calendar, not a modern diet trick.
• •The adobo should be thick enough to coat fish without running off immediately. If it pours like salsa, cook it longer. A marinade can have discipline too.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the adobo at least 1 day ahead. It is better after 24 hours because the vinegar softens and the chiles deepen.
• •The finished adobo keeps refrigerated in a clean glass jar for 7 days. Cover the surface with a thin film of neutral oil if holding longer than 3 days.
• •For fish, marinate 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on thickness. Do not leave delicate fish in this adobo overnight or the vinegar will tighten the flesh.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 60g)