Red Chile Enchilada Sauce

*I posted this quick recipe to the Instagram account and thought it would be good to also post it here for now. I might write up a full proper post for it... eventually. *

Here’s a quick(ish) version of my Red Chile Enchilada sauce. Mine’s a bit more chile and garlic forward than most, and skews slightly a bit more Tex-Mex in flavors with the amount of cumin I use. I really like it that way for enchiladas and smothered burritos or chimichangas.

Roast 3 large garlic cloves on a skillet or griddle over medium high heat until soft. Peel them once cool. While those are roasting, heat your oven to 350 degrees. On a baking sheet, toast 1 large (or two small) dried ancho chile(s), with 3 dried guajillo chiles for about 5 mins. Let cool. Stem and seed the chiles and then tear into pieces. Throw the garlic and chiles in a blender with one 15-ounce can of no salt added fire-roasted tomatoes. Also throw in 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano, 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, and generous 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground cumin. Blend that as smooth as you can get it. Add water as needed to keep the mixture running between the blades. Press the chile mixture through a medium mesh strainer into a bowl. Heat about a tblsp of vegetable oil over medium high heat, and once a drop of the chile mixture sizzles loudly when added to the oil,  pour in the whole chile mixture. It will sizzle and splatter all over. Nothing you can do about it. That’s frying down chile sauces kids. A splatter guard might help, but you still have to be stirring it, so there will still be splattering. Cook, stirring constantly until the chile mixture is the consistency of tomato paste. Then add in about a cup of chicken broth and simmer, stirring occasionally, for at least 10 mins. You want the sauce to be the consistency of a cream soup. If it’s too thick add in some more broth or water. Add salt and sugar to taste. I start with about ½ tsp of both salt and sugar to see where it is and then add more if it asks for some more. Usually maybe another pinch or two of each. 

Get yo’ self a rotisserie chicken, some corn tortillas, some Mexican blend cheese and you have some quick easy red chile enchiladas. The sauce also freezes well, and might just need a quick wiz in the blender to get back that original texture.