Memorable Quotes:

"A Bearnaise sauce is simply an egg yolk, a shallot, a little tarragon vinegar and butter, but it takes years of practice for the result to be perfect." Fernand Point

Home Made Red Enchilada Sauce

 This is an excellent sauce to use on tacos and especially good for making enchiladas.




Servings: About 6 cups
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 30 min

Ingredients:

  • 8 dried ancho chiles
  • 4 dried guajillo chiles
  • 2–3 dried árbol chiles, optional for heat
  • 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
  • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar, optional, to balance acidity

Instructions:

  1. Prepare the chiles.
    Remove stems and most of the seeds from the ancho and guajillo chiles. Tear them into pieces.
  2. Toast them.
    Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast the chile pieces for about 20–30 seconds per side. Don't let them burn—they'll become bitter.
  3. Soften.
    Put the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with about 4 cups of very hot broth. Let sit for 20 minutes.
  4. Sauté the aromatics.
    While the chiles soak, heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add onion and cook 5–6 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
  5. Blend.
    Put the softened chiles, soaking broth, onion, garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, cumin, oregano and salt into a blender. Blend until very smooth. You may need to do this in two batches.
  6. Strain.
    Pour the blended sauce through a fine-mesh strainer into a large saucepan. This removes chile skins and seeds and gives you a much smoother enchilada sauce.
  7. Simmer.
    Simmer uncovered for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water or broth if it becomes thicker than you want.
  8. Finish.
    Stir in the vinegar and, if needed, a teaspoon of sugar. Taste and adjust salt and heat.

Tip: Remove seeds and veins from chilis to prevent sauce from being too spicey. For a thicker sauce you can make a roux with flour and oil. I used 1/4 cup of oil and mixed 1/4 cup of flour when oil was hot. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.

Source: ChatGPT