Melanies Redneck Red Chili Sauce Recipes

MEXICAN RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Cut the chiles open and remove stem and seeds: Working on one chile at a time, use a paring knife to cut a slit all the way down one side of a chile. Open up the chile and remove the stem and seeds. Remove as much of the veins as you can. Reserve a few of the seeds or veins for adding later if you want added heat. Note when working with chiles, either wear protective gloves or wash your hands very thoroughly with soap and warm water after handling the chilies. Do not touch or rub your eyes if you have been handling chili peppers.
• Heat the chiles on a skillet: Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Flatten out the dried chiles as well as you can and place on the skillet to heat. Press down on the opened chiles and leave for a few seconds. Turn the chiles over and heat a few seconds more. You do not want to toast or burn the chiles! If they burn, they'll turn bitter. Just heat them enough to draw out more of their flavor.
• Soften the chiles in hot water: Add the chiles to a small saucepan and add enough water so that they are just covered. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes, until the chiles have softened and plumped up. (OR place the chiles in a small saucepan and pour boiling water over them to cover. Let sit for 15 minutes, until softened.)
• Purée with garlic, seasonings, water or poaching liquid: Remove the chiles from the pan, reserve the soaking water, and place the chiles in a blender. Add the garlic, salt, crushed peppercorns, ground cloves, and 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid (taste the soaking water first, if it seems bitter, use plain water instead). Purée for 2 minutes, until the sauce is completely smooth. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning. If you want more heat, add in a few of the seeds or veins and purée some more. Add more salt if needed.
• Strain through sieve into a skillet, simmer: Pour the sauce through a sieve into a skillet. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the sauce. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to maintain the simmer, cook for 10 minutes. Skim off the foam. Remove from heat. Use immediately or pour into a glass jar (plastic will get stained) and refrigerate.

RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Remove stems and seeds from dried chile pods. Rinse and place in 4-quart pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let pods steep for 30 minutes.
• Drain pods in a colander and reserve juice. Place softened pods into a blender or food processor, adding just enough reserved juice to barely cover. Blend to a fine consistency. Pour the resulting pulp into a fine sieve or colander and allow the extra juice to drain out, stirring occasionally.
• Return this pulp to the 4-quart pot and add the salt, oregano, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste to adjust seasonings. If the sauce tastes bitter, add the tomato sauce. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
• Use red chile sauce over enchiladas, chile rellenos, or as a side or sauce for any other Mexican entree.

MELANIE'S REDNECK RED CHILI SAUCE

Steps:

• First, the dried chili pods I choose depends on my mood. I do usually like to mix it up for depth of flavor and love Guajillo and Ancho/Pasilla varieties. I've even been known to slip in a few of the skinny asian hot peppers for extra heat and depth.
• Place Chili pods on a baking sheet and into the oven at 375 degrees. Bake for about 5 minutes. Place the Hot Chili Pods in a large bowl and cover with water. Soak for about 30-40 minutes.
• Cook bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Remove bacon and reserve about 3 TBS of the bacon grease.
• Pull the tops off the chili pods and place into a blender with the onion, garlic, spices, a slice of bacon, and some of the chili soaking water (barely cover the blender ingredients with the water). Depending on the size of your blender you may need to do this in batches. Puree until smooth.
• Heat bacon grease in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add chili sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for about 20-30 minutes until it starts to thicken a bit. This will intensify that beautiful earthy red chili flavor.
• Sometimes, the sauce will have a bitter taste -- all depends on the quality and variety of the dried chilis. If this happens to me, I like to add just a touch of honey to smooth out the flavor.
• I like to use this sauce for tamales. You can also use it for enchiladas, chili colorado, or other recipes.
• It also freezes well for future use.

TOMASITA'S RED CHILE

Steps:

• Rinse the chile pods 5 times, then let soak in water in a bucket or large bowl for 5 hours or so.
• After the chiles have soaked for 5 hours, discard the water. Put the chile pods in a blender. Tamp the pods down into the blender, then add water to the top. Blend well into a paste.
• Put the paste in a large saucepan over medium heat.
• Make a roux. Put the oil in a saucepan, over medium heat, heat up slightly, add the flour and stir constantly. The flour should get toasted and brown, but do not burn it, about 5 minutes.
• Drizzle the roux into the red chili and mix to combine. This will make it thicker and change the color slightly, but it should not get white in color. The chili and liquid should just look darker and less bright than the red chili without any roux. Add enough roux and water to get the chili to the right consistency, which should be like gravy. You may not use all the roux.
• Add the garlic and salt. Leave the chili in the pot to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring regularly. Do NOT bring it to a boil, as that may burn the flour in the roux. Add more salt and garlic if needed and serve.

MELANIE'S CHILI

Steps:

• In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink. Stir in tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, chili powder, cumin, cayenne and garlic. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the canola oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in the chile powder and cumin and cook 30 more seconds.
• Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until reduced to a sauce-like consistency, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and puree (add water if necessary). Add the honey and more salt and pepper, if needed.

GARLICKY RED CHILI HOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Wearing rubber or latex gloves, roughly chop the chilies. Combine all ingredients in a small pot over medium-high heat. Once mixture is simmering, reduce heat to low, cover and continue to simmer until peppers are tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Do not inhale vapors; they will sting.
• Transfer mixture to a blender and purée. Pour into a medium jar and allow to cool uncovered. Cover tightly and refrigerate for three days. Keep stored in refrigerator; sauce will last for several weeks or months.

HATCH RED CHILI SAUCE

Steps:

• Rinse chile pods, remove stems and seeds.
• Place water and pods in a pan and heat to boiling.
• Reduce heat and allow to simmer until pods are soft and pulpy (about 20 minutes).
• Remove pods and place in a blender, setting aside cooking liquid.
• (Add salt, garlic gloves & Oregano in blender at this time as well -- ).
• Run through blender until pods form a smooth paste.
• In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsps. oil.
• Add flour and brown lightly.
• Remove from heat, add chiles to flour mixture, contining to stir until lumps are dissolved.
• Return to heat, stir enough of the cooking liquid to make a gravy like consistency.
• Simmer for about 10 minutes.
• May be frozen for future use.

NEW MEXICO RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Coat the bottom of a heavy saucepan with oil; add chile pods. Toast over medium heat until aromatic, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in onion and garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add enough chicken stock to allow pods to float; simmer until they develop the texture of wet leather, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Fill blender halfway with chile-stock mixture. Cover and hold lid down with a potholder; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Pour into a bowl; repeat with remaining mixture. Strain sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepan over medium heat. Discard solids.
• Stir cumin, coriander, and oregano into the saucepan; add honey. Cook until sauce is thick and evenly coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.