This spice blend called black recado is used in the Belize recipe called chimole. It is of Maya origin. It has a wonderful smoky, spicy flavor and it is black. If you attempt to make it please, roast the ancho chilies outside. It creates quite a bit of smoke and can cause you to cry, sneeze, scream etc. The end result however is a wonderful spice blend that you can freeze in an ice cube tray and then put in a plastic baggie for future use. It makes about 2 cups.
Black Recado Seasoning
Ingredients
- 10 Ancho Peppers Makes 2 cups
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 cloves
- 2 whole Allspice
- 1 tablespoon of Anchiote seeds
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ½ tablespoon of pepper
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
- Discard the veins and seeds of 10 ancho peppers
- Using tongs roast the pepper right over fire until it turns black, flipping as necessary
- Have a bowl of water handy to put the peppers in and repeat until all 10 are roasted.
- In a spice grinder grind the cloves, allspice, achitote seeds and cumin.
- In a blender, add the garlic, oregano, white vinegar, pepper, salt the ingredients from the spice grinder and the roasted peppers.
- Blend all the ingredients together to form a black paste
- Use what is needed in your recipe and freeze the rest.
