IT’S WEDNESDAY NIGHT, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to make compromises when planning dinner. Enter this bold, exciting, Mexican-inspired meal of plump, juicy shrimp simmered in a deeply flavorful, garlicky, chile-infused sauce.
The first building block of this dish is dried guajillo chiles. These long, lanky chiles are fruity and lightly spicy. As a big fan of dried chiles, I knew to seed them, cut them into pieces, and toast the pieces in a skillet to bring out their flavor and add a subtle smokiness. Next, I tossed the toasted chiles into my blender, which I used as a makeshift spice grinder. It turned the guajillos into a vibrant, complex homemade chile powder that packed way more depth than a supermarket version would. I blended in water, Worcestershire sauce,…
