Chipotle as a Spice!

Smoked jalapenos otherwise known as chipotle chillies are widely used in chilli produce to add depth and that touch of “je ne sais quoi” that so many people love. But sometimes it is just better to use the real thing and adapt your cooking to the chili itself rather than rely on other manufacturer’s produce.

We offer whole dried chipotle chillies, about 15-20 per bag on average, which can last up to 18 months (we have even used them 6 months after the expiry date and they were just as good) so at least you can be sure that these will last you a while. We have experimented quite a lot with these, although sometimes over or under-doing it but we are now able to gauge how much is needed depending on what we are cooking.

One of the best uses for whole dried chipotles that we have found is in a Spicy Sweet Potato & Chorizo Soup.

To make this soup, just gently fry some chunks of good quality chorizo before adding pieces of sweet potatoes, onions and adding about a litre of water or vegetable stock to the mix. Pierce the skin of 2 or 3 chipotles to taste and put in the pan so that the water can get in and rehydrate the lot. Let it simmer for at least an hour before blending with a food processor. For added texture, fry some pieces of chorizo and put them in the soup before eating piping hot!

The Chilli Pepper Company Chipotle Chilli Flakes are amongst some of our favorite produce at The Devil’s Garden, not only because of the quality of the chilli flakes themselves but also because of the pungency and overall authenticity of the chipotles.

You can tell just by looking at them that these are 100% pure chillies rather than bits of flakes with added chilli powder to bulk things up. We commonly use them in fajitas, sprinkle them on pizzas and they are just to die for when cooked slowly in a chilli con carne!

Blair’s Death Rain Chipotle Shaker is a practical way to add spice to any meal when you are out and about. You even get Blair’s iconic skull keyring when purchasing a shaker! Chipotles have been reduced to a very fine powder so you can add as little or as much as you wish to your meal and even sprinkle some on cheese on toast!

Chipotles are and will surely stay one of people’s favourite chillies as the taste is just to die for and the heat seeping through is mild enough for most beginners to handle

Ivor is the Director of The Devil’s Garden and an all round chilli geek, he loves everything spicy and his chilli plants are like children