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I had the very good fortune of visiting Mexico this month, and what a culinary treat it was! The food was over the top in terms of quality, taste, and creativity. Every single meal, whether it was breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks came with a choice of mild and hot chili sauce. All the sauces were simple, varied and deliciously homemade (no bottled sauce here). This has inspired me to prepare some of these new chili sauces. Oh yes, my carry on was filled with many dried chili peppers. Yum!

This entertaining season you may want to prepare something different for your holiday or Christmas eve dinner. If so, give this recipe a try. It may become your new favourite because it is a crowd pleaser.

The recipe makes entertaining simple because you can prepare the sauce and beans ahead of time and simply grill the lamb (or a portobello mushroom if you are going vegetarian) just before dinner!

Guajillo Chili Sauce

This Guajillo Chili sauce is mild in spice, but “oh” so flavourful so everyone can enjoy it. If you have some spice lovers, you can serve some spicy hot sauce on the side.

Look at the beautiful Guajillo Chilies I brought home!
The flavour is as rich as the colour of this sauce!

Quality Ingredients

Delicious meals start with the best quality products and my amazing local butcher Erik Miller had these local grass fed lamb ribs today.

Local grass-fed Lamb Ribs

Lamb served with Cannellini Beans and Guajillo Chili Sauce

This is a mild, but so flavourful Mexican inspired Chili sauce that really jazzes up this lamb dish!
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Prep Time 1 hour
Course Dinner
Servings 2

Ingredients
  

Guajillo Chili Sauce

  • 6 dried guajillo chilies
  • 3 garlic cloves peeled, cut in half
  • 2 small yellow onions cut in half
  • 2 large tomatoes cut in half
  • 1 small jalapeño pepper (omit if you want a mild sauce) cut in half
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Cannellini Beans (White Beans)

  • 2 small shallots finely diced
  • 1 clove garlic finely diced
  • 1 tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (or you can substitute for a fresh jalapeño pepper) finely diced
  • 2 – 14 ounce cans cannellini beans rinsed and drained
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Lamb Ribs (Lamb Chops)

  • 8 – 2 rib lamb ribs (or 6 small lamb chops)
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped extra fine
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp Herb de Provence
  • 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin

Instructions
 

Guajillo Chili Sauce

  • Preheat oven to 400°.
  • On a baking sheet coat garlic, onion, tomatoes, in olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Place garlic and tomatoes cut side down and roast until vegetables are softened and blistered in spots, 10–15 minutes. Set aside.
  • Heat a dry skillet. Add dried chilies and just warm the chilis to draw out more flavour, being careful not to burn or toast them. Remove the chilies and set them aside.
  • In a saucepan add all the sauce ingredients: Chilies, garlic, onion, tomatoes, stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Pour the sauce through a fine mesh strainer and reserve the liquid.
  • Place strained peppers, onion, garlic, tomatoes in a food processer. Add some of the reserved liquid. Puree into a smooth paste.
  • In a skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chili paste. Stir and heat for one minute. Add the reserved liquid until it forms a thin sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cannellini Beans

  • In a large sauce pan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add shallots, garlic and chipotle peppers in adobo paste (or jalapeño if using). Sauté until shallots are softened.
  • Add beans and toss until heated through. Remove 1/2 cup of the beans and mash them into a paste. Add the mashed beans back to the rest of the beans and stir to incorporate. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lamb Ribs or Lamb Chops or Portobello Mushrooms

  • In a bowl mix finely chopped garlic, finely chopped rosemary, Herb de Provence, oregano, olive oil, salt, and pepper into a fine paste. (If you are using a mortar and pestle: Mince garlic, rosemary, and other herbs with the olive oil with the pestle creating a paste.)
  • Pour paste onto the chops and thoroughly coat them. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours or you can marinate them overnight.
  • Vegetarian Option: If you are using portobello mushrooms, simple remove the stem and clean thoroughly. Pour the herb paste on the mushrooms and thoroughly coat them. Refrigerate for two hours.
  • Prepare a grill or place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear each side of the ribs/chops. Then turn the heat down and cook on each side until medium-rare. (Medium-rare lamb registers at a 130 degrees internal temperature) Approximate 3 to 4 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of your chops.
    Note: Medium-rare lamb registers at a 130 degrees internal temperature.

To Serve

  • Spoon the cannellini beans into the centre of each plate, arrange the guajillo chili sauce around the beans and top with your chops or mushrooms. Garnish with cilantro.

Notes

Beans:  You can use Navy Beans or Great Northern Beans or any white bean you prefer.
Lamb:  If you wish you can use small lamb chops for this recipe instead of lamb ribs.
Chili Sauce:  There will be extra chili sauce and it goes with everything!  You can keep it in an airtight container for up to a week.
Vegetarian Option:  Portobello mushrooms are a great variation from lamb.
Enjoy!
Keyword guajillochili, lamb, mexicaninspired
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!