Chef's Notes
This oil adds great flavor when cooking or grilling meats. It also makes for a delicious and unique dipping sauce to serve alongside the meat. Try it with grilled chicken seasoned with complementary spices.
Step 1: Preparing the Chile Oil
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp fennel or caraway seeds
- 3 dried chiles (New Mexico or Anaheim)*
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp sherry or red wine vinegar
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Lightly toast the spices in a small fry pan over medium heat until fragrant. Let cool before grinding them in a spice grinder. Place the ground spices into a medium bowl.
Next, toast the chiles in the same fry pan. Press the chiles into the pan to help toast them and bring out their aroma, about 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool, grind and add to the ground spices.
Crush the garlic into a paste and add it to the spice mix, along with the cayenne and salt. Next, add the sherry vinegar and olive oil and mix to combine. Taste for seasoning, adding more vinegar or salt if needed.
Be sure to mix the oil well before each use. This oil will keep for a day or two if stored in the refrigerator.