Chipotle chilli barbecue sauce - recipe

On Saturday we held a, slightly overdue, housewarming bbq.  We got through a whole lotta food and a whole lotta booze!  I'll share a few more of the recipes later this week, including my fabulous rhubarb martini.

First things first though, what's a barbie without some barbecue sauce. 

The lovely people at Capsicana recently sent me a package of some of their finest chillies, including my favourite - chipotle, which I fell in love with when travelling in Mexico.  Chipotle chillies are jalapenos that are smoked for several days over mesquite wood fires.  The smoky flavour makes them a natural choice for a barbecue sauce.  Capsicana  sell dried chillies from all over the world on their website, so you're sure to be able to source your favourites, as well as some more unusual varieties.

This recipe made a very mild sauce, to up the heat, use 4 chipotle chillis.

Ingredients:
2 chipotle chillies, soaked in hot water for 30 mins to rehydrate and finely chopped (reserve the water)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 dessertspoon caster sugar
Few glugs of balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes

Method:

Cook the onion in oil over a very low heat for 10-15 minutes, until well softened.  Add the sugar, balsamic and garlic and cook for a further 5-10 minutes, until lightly caramelised.

Add the tomatoes and chipotle chillies.  Simmer for 10-15 minutes to develop the flavours.  Add a few tablespoons of the reserved soaking water to keep the sauce nicely liquid.

The sauce will keep well for a few days in the fridge.  This is a fantastic sauce with any meat or veggie dishes and would even be nice with pasta, if you have any leftover.

Not the prettiest picture but they taste amazing