We’re always on the lookout around our camp for interesting condiments that bring new dimensions of flavor to the table.
We happened to be in Austin recently and dined at one of our old haunts from our time there years ago, the Buenos Aires Cafe; they serve the best chimichurri I’ve personally ever tasted in my life, and we enjoyed it yet again.
We happened to be sitting near the kitchen, and I heard the chefs on duty chatting about a version of this Ancho Lemongrass Chile Oil. I happened to pester them for a taste and eventually a rough “back of the napkin” recipe, which I’ve played around with here at home to bring more in alignment with a Paleo/Primal palate (the oil in particular).
The fruity, almost raisin-like texture and taste of the oil soaked ancho chiles is wonderful; and as you can see from the image above, I like to throw in enough ancho to make this more of a paste than an oil drizzle. The combination of 
the shallots, garlic, and fresh ginger with the pepper is unique and just fits, as does the hint of lemongrass from the lemongrass puree. By the way, cutting the cleaned and seeded anchos with your kitchen shears makes it easy to pare the peppers down to size.
Perfect with grilled proteins hot of the grill, we served this over spaghetti squash a few nights ago and it was amazing – almost like an ancho lemongrass pesto….
1 large or 2 small shallots, trimmed and chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1-inch nob of fresh ginger, peeled, chopped
1/2 cup avocado or mild olive oil
1/4 – 1/2 tsp good salt
1 tbsp lemongrass puree
2 large ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, torn or chopped (see note)
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup roasted peanuts (salted), chopped
1-2 tsp fish sauce
Combine the shallots, garlic, ginger, salt, and the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer, adjusting the heat as needed, until the shallot is just beginning to brown around the edges (15-20 minutes).
Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the lemongrass puree, prepped ancho chiles, and the red pepper flakes. Let cool slowly, every 20 minutes for an hour, until the dried ancho pieces begin to soften.
Now into the blender the mixture goes for a quick puree, though be sure and leave some texture here (you want to be able to distinguish some of the chile pieces).
Pour into a small bowl, stir in the chopped peanuts and fish sauce, adjust for salt.
Enjoy.
As we lean these days toward more simple preparations (most of the time) that highlight great ingredients, a few days ago I made these Grilled Jalapeño Poppers with Smoked Gouda to accompany an artisanal chicken sausage I’d run across at our favorite market here in the city. Don’t skip adding the fresh ground pepper to the cheese mixture by the way – it adds a great flavor point and interesting texture too.
Cut the washed peppers in half lengthwise but leave connected at the stem end; using a grapefruit spoon, scrape out the seeds and membranes from the peppers.
Earlier this week I posted on Instagram a pic of a quick dinner one afternoon, a blackened mahi fish taco over our 
