Recipe

Po Campo's Chilpotle Ketchup

Photo by thirschfeld

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Condiment
Chef
thirschfeld's Notes: For anyone who read Lonesome Dove you might remember Po Campo as the name of the cook for the Hat Creek Cattle Company that they picked up in Austin, Texas on their way north during their...
For anyone who read Lonesome Dove you might remember Po Campo as the name of the cook for the Hat Creek Cattle Company that they picked up in Austin, Texas on their way north during their big cattle drive. He loved to use exotic ingredients and was very eccentric in that he would not ride animals because he wanted to forage for food. He even managed to impress Gus with his biscuits and cooking. My kind of guy. It is no secret that I have an affinity for Texas food. I like the mix of Mexican, Native American and American ingredients and flavors. This ketchup fits the bill in my book. It would be great on a burger but that would only foreshadow its future use as a picante sauce for pulled chicken tacos or even a salsa for blue corn chips and even a dip for sweet potato fries. In the next go round I want to use it in tamales stuffed with huitlacoche( corn mushrooms), a delicacy in Mexico a corn disease in Indiana. For that matter I could see it on steamed potatoes with jalapeno cheese melted over the top.

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This makes way more than you will need but I always keep this mix around for all kinds of stuff. Rub a whole chicken with it, or chicken breast or steaks. But if you don't want it around I am guessing a pinch of each would do.
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Place all the spices in a spice grinder and grind fine.
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1 to 3 chilpotle peppers in adobo, depends on your heat tolerance Ask a question about this ingredient

1 1/2 tablespoon adobo sauce from above Ask a question about this ingredient

Combine the chilpotle peppers, the adobo sauce, garlic, onion and a 1/2 cup of the strained tomatoes in a food processor and process until smooth.
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Combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan and place it over medium heat. Bring the ketchup to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for about a 1/2 an hour or until thickened. Let cool and serve.
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