Red Chili Sauce
This sauce is the base for everything wonderful, in terms of Mexican food, or at least for a lot wonderful, in terms of Mexican food.
After the people, what I miss most about California is the great Mexican food. When we lived there, I rarely made Mexican food, as there were so many wonderful Mexican restaurants, but the east coast, of the United States, does not quite offer the same selections, thus I now make Mexican food, at home, which is one of my most favorite of foods.
In order to make great Mexican food, you must make your own sauces. The red sauce beings with a chili purée – there are no tomatoes in this sauce – it is a chili sauce!
I must warn you, that this sauce will stain porous material – like the plastic lid to your blender. You can spray things with a light coat of oil or something like PAM, but be prepared for the stains – though once you sample your results, you will not mind the stains.
Ingredients:
15 California or Anaheim Chiles – dried
15 Pasilla Chiles – dried
4 tablespoons of Garlic
Boiling Water
4 tablespoons of Oil
4 tablespoons Flour
2 teaspoons of Garlic
2 teaspoons of Oregano
2 tablespoons of Vinegar
Salt to taste
Directions:
You need to start by making a chili puree. Put water on to boil. The dry chilies need to be washed well, stems removed, and seeds either separated or incorporated. The seeds add additional heat, you must decide if you want that extra kick. The seeds can be washed and dried, and used as a condiment, like what you might find in a shaker, at an Italian restaurant. Put the chilies in a large, glass bowl – the glass will help to retain heat, and does not stain. Pour boiling water over the chilies, enough to cover them, add the four tablespoons of garlic, and cover the bowl. Let the chilies sit, in the hot water bath, for several hours. The longer they soak, the richer the sauce.
Using tongs, drop about ¼ of the chilies into the blender, and begin to puree. You will add a bit of water, about a ¼ cup at time, to keep the sauce smooth, but not watery. If you have left the seeds, as I do, I strain the water through a sieve, as I pour it into the blender. Continue blending, until all of the chilies are pureed. You can experiment with different dried chilies to find a mix you like, but this is a good base from which to begin.
Once the chili puree is done, you have the base to make the red sauce for enchiladas or tamales.
To continue with the sauce, in a large, deep skillet, or pot, brown the flour in the oil, to a make roux. Stir this constantly, until flour is brown, but not burnt. If it burns, throw it out, the flour and oil can easily be replaced, but the burnt taste will ruin the sauce. Then add garlic, and fry for about a minute, then add oregano, stir, and add three to four cups of the chili puree. Bring this sauce to a quick boil, and then reduce heat, and let it simmer on low, for an hour. You can then proceed to make enchiladas, or use this sauce for tamales, or even for chili con carne. It is a great staple to have in your repertoire of sauces.
