Colorado Chile Salsa Recipes

SALSA DE CHILE COLORADO

Steps:

• Heat a comal or a cast iron skillet over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles and wipe them clean with a dry cloth. Place them on the comal and toast them, just until their aroma is released, 30 to 60 seconds. Be careful not to burn them. Place the chiles in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let them soak until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain the chiles and discard the liquid. Place the chiles, oregano, garlic, and the 2 cups of water in a blender and blend to a smooth puree. Add more water if the sauce is too thick. Place the oil in a medium size saucepan. Heat the oil over medium high heat until it is rippling. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden. Add the chile puree and salt to the pan and reduce the heat to low. It may splatter as you pour it in, so be careful. Cook, stirring often, until the raw taste is gone and the flavor of the chiles has mellowed, about 10 minutes. Finish the sauce with the sugar and vinegar. Store, tightly covered, in the refrigerator up to a week or indefinitely in the freezer.

RED CHILE SAUCE (CHILE COLORADO)

Steps:

• Rinse chiles and split open, discarding stems, seeds, and ribs.
• Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over moderate heat, then toast chiles, skin sides up, in batches, about 30 seconds (be careful not to burn them, or sauce will be bitter). Transfer chiles as toasted to a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over them. Cover bowl and soak chiles, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 15 minutes.
• Purée chiles with three fourths of soaking liquid, reserving remainder, in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Pour purée through a coarse sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids, and discard solids. Whisk reserved soaking liquid into chile mixture.
• Cook onion, garlic, cumin, and oregano in oil in a large heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, 2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Whisk in chile mixture and simmer, partially covered, whisking occasionally, until reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, about 30 minutes. Season with salt, vinegar, and sugar.

COLORADO GREEN CHILI (CHILE VERDE)

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper to taste, then place into the hot oil. Cook until golden brown on all sides, about 7 minutes. Once browned, remove the pork and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, and stir in the onion and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Return the pork to the pot, and stir in the green chiles, diced tomatoes with juice, tomatillo salsa, and chicken broth. Season with oregano and clove. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, remove 2 cups of the soup (ensure there are no pork cubes in it), and pour into a blender. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree until smooth, then pour back into the cooking pot. This will create a thicker texture for your chili and will eliminate some of the chunky bits of chiles. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until the pork is very tender, at least 35 minutes more.