Welcome to Chile Colonial

I was born and raised in Mexico City, and after moving to the United States, I realized how much I missed the wonderfully rich and complex cuisine of Mexico. There is so much more to Mexican cooking than most people realize, and most meals are accompanied by some sort of salsa. Most often the food is not spicy, and additional layers of heat and flavor are rendered through the addition of a sauce.

The term salsa is used very loosely to describe the complex combination of fresh ingredient with the many varieties of fresh and dried chiles; some are very hot while others have no heat and just add flavor.

Because I was homesick for authentic Mexican food, I decided to make products that would invoke these wonderful flavors, using only natural ingredients and manufactured in small batches to ensure quality.

I hope you enjoy my products as much as I have enjoy making them!

Step back into the magic of old Mexico with our products and savor the rich and mouth-watering blends of roasted fresh and dried chiles, onion, garlic, herbs and spices. Our products are hand crafted in small batches, using only the finest natural ingredients.

My first product, Chile Crunch, is a unique, hot and crunchy condiment. Personally I use it on almost everything since the subtle smokiness and heat of the chile de arbol, combined with onion, garlic and canola oil, add wonderful layers of flavors to a meal.

Chile Crunch was inspired by the rich Mexican cuisine based on ancient traditions, such as the Aztecs and Mayas, combined with culinary trends introduced by Spanish colonists and the French during their occupation. There was also a minor Asian influence due to the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade. The result is a sophisticated and unusual blend of international flavors that add excitement to all of your dishes and compliments all cuisines.

We use California grown garlic, onion and canola oil, which has been claimed to promote good health due to its very low saturated fat and high monounsaturated fat content, and beneficial omega-3 fatty acid profile.

We are very excited about our new products that should be available shortly and will add more choices to your dining experience. The authentic Mexican flavors are a result of using the many varieties of both fresh and dried Mexican chiles.

Foodzie

EZ Gaspacho Granita with Chile Colonial's Chile Crunch.

We bumped into Chile Colonial's Chile Crunch at the Fancy Food Show earlier this year, where it was one of the most memorable local products we found. We've barely stopped eating it since. At the show, Chile Colonial proprietor Susie Hojel, who makes her wares at La Cocina, explained that her fiery flavor combinations are motivated by trying to recapture the tastes of her native Mexico City.

We procured a jar of this sizzling arbol chile, crunchy garlic, and onion condiment the next day and proceeded to throw it on just about everything, from eggs and nachos to chow mein and soup. We eventually ended up just eating it straight out of the jar with a spoon, which is actually highly recommended for heat fanatics.

It was just as we'd given up on the need to create a vehicle for this addiction (other than straight freebasing it) that an easy and inspiring Chile Crunch recipe came along.

Good, even straight out of the jar.

Tamara Palmer

It arrives courtesy of writer/gobbist Steven Gdula's Test Kitchen at Foodzie, an online artisan marketplace we like to think of as "edible Etsy." His "EZ Gazpacho Granita with Chile Colonial" puts an icy-hot spin on what we've found to be a no-fail condiment with a recipe that anyone who can boil water can execute. It can even be made drastically easier with one key substitution, putting it only half a degree of difficulty over just opening the jar and simply pouring it down your throat.

Some Ideas

CHILE CRUNCH PASTA
Serves 4

1 lb cappellini pasta (thin spaghetti)
15-20 fresh basil leaves
1 tblsp virgin olive oil
1 tblsp butter
1 tblsp Chile Colonial's Chile Crunch
1 tblsp parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
cracked black pepper to taste

YUM!

Robert Adams
Foodatmyhouse.com

Guacamole
Mash 2 ripe avocados, season with salt, pepper and fresh lime juice. Add some chopped fresh cilantro and Chile Crunch to taste.

Instant Dip
Soften Cream Cheese and add apricot preserves and top with Chile Crunch. Serve on crackers.

Baked Chicken
Mix apricot preserves with Chile Crunch, salt and pepper. Rub all over a roasting chicken and bake as usual in a 350 oven. The Chile Crunch and apricot preserves add wonderful flavor to the chicken. I often place whole potatoes, peeled carrots and chunks of onion in the bottom of the roasting pan with a little broth. The vegetables will cook with the chicken and you have a "one pot meal".

Brown Rice and Vegetables
Combines steamed vegetables with cooked brown rice. Serve and add Chile Crunch for flavor and heat.

We will continue to periodically post new recipes. If you have a recipe you would like to share, we would love to hear from you. Send it/them to info@chilecolonial.com

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