Ancho Chile Puree
10 ancho chiles
1 small red onion, cored
and coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons freshly
squeezed lime juice
1.Submerge the chiles overnight in a bowl of water.
Reserve the soaking water; remove and discard the stems
and seeds. Puree the chiles in a food processor with all
the other ingredients except the oil. Use a little of the
soaking water if necessary to allow the ingredients to
move freely around the processor bowl.
2.Push the puree through a fine sieve into a bowl.
3.Whisk the oil into the puree and add salt to taste.
Transfer the puree to a sealed jar and store in the
refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Makes 1 cup.
1 tablespoon
red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2cup fresh peanut oil
Grilled Fish Gazpacho
Salt and freshly ground
black pepper
1 red bell pepper, stemmed,
seeded and diced
1 yellow bell pepper,
stemmed, seeded
and diced
1 English cucumber, peeled,
seeded and diced
3 tablespoons freshly
squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
12 fresh chive stems,
cut in 1-inch lengths
1 stem fresh basil,
coarsely chopped
1/2cup extra-virgin
olive oil, divided
8 ounces fresh fish fillet
(cod, snapper, halibut,
striped bass)
2 tablespoons ancho
chile puree
1/2cup sour cream
6 large ripe tomatoes
( 2 red, 2 yellow,
2 green such as Zebra)
1. Mix basil and 2 tablespoons oil in a bowl;
spread on both sides of the fish fillet. Cover and
marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
2. Mix ancho chile puree and sour cream together;
cover and refrigerate.
3. Peel, seed and puree the tomatoes, one kind
at a time, through a food mill. Refrigerate the
3 purees separately.
4. Wipe the marinade off the fish and grill or
broil until just cooked, 5-10 minutes, or until
the internal temperature is 150°F. Flake the fish
in 1/2-inch pieces, removing any bones. Combine
with sour cream mixture. Season to taste with
salt and pepper.
5. Combine peppers and cucumber in a bowl.
Add lemon juice, sesame oil and a pinch each
of salt and pepper.
6. Mix a small pinch each of salt and pepper
into each of the tomato purees with; whisk
2 tablespoons of the remaining olive oil into
each puree.
7. Pour the purees onto chilled large rimmed
shallow plates, making whatever pattern you
like. Put the fish salad in the center of the plates
and scatter the pepper and cucumber mixture
around the plates. Sprinkle chives over the fish.
Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.
See Jeremiah Tower’s recipe
for Warm Fruit Stew on page 73.
