Traditional New Mexican Red Chile Sauce Recipes

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Remove the stem of each dried chile. Shake out as many of the seeds as possible. (Make sure you are wearing gloves, and avoid touching your eyes/face).
• Heat your skillet on medium heat. Place your dried chiles on the skillet, pressing them down to toast them slightly on each side (10-15 seconds). You don't want to burn them or it will result in bitter sauce.
• Add your chiles to a small saucepan, add water (just enough to cover). Bring to a boil, turn off the heat. Allow them to sit for up to 10 minutes to rehydrate.
• Remove the chiles from the soaking water and place them in a blender. Add just under two cups of the soaking liquid. (If your soaking liquid is bitter then discard and add regular water).
• Puree for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a skillet with the olive oil. Bring the sauce to a low simmer, add your salt, and any additional optional ingredients.
• Brown sugar will tone down the spice, while cocoa/cacao will compliment the spicy sauce. Consider adding a pinch of any of the optional ingredients or more based on your preference.
• Skim off the foam as the sauce simmers, then remove from the heat and store in a glass jar. Refrigerate and use within one week.

MEXICAN RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place chiles on a baking sheet. Toast lightly in oven, 3 or 4 minutes, until they give off a mild aroma. Do not burn, otherwise, chiles will be very bitter.
• Remove chiles from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Remove and discard stems, seeds, and any pink pithy materials.
• Rinse chiles in cool water, drain briefly, then cover with hot water and soak for an hour.
• Process chiles in blender with enough of the soaking water to obtain a nice, blended consistency.
• Add remaining water, tomato sauce, garlic, oil, salt, oregano, and cumin. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for later 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.

TRADITIONAL NEW MEXICAN RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the chile pods on a foil lined cookie sheet and warm in a 375º F.
• oven for just a few minutes until they become soft and leathery.
• Working in small batches at a time, fit pods into a blender or food processor.
• Purée with the onion, garlic, oregano and salt until smooth, adding small amounts of water as needed to make a sauce the consistency of thick cream.
• Place each batch of puréed mixture in a large bowl until all have been blended.
• Stir the batches together.
• Store in refrigerator.

TRADITIONAL NEW MEXICO RED CHILE CHEESE "STACKED" ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Each serving will contain 3 corn tortillas. Take the tortilla and dip it in hot oil or dip it in the red chile sauce and put on plate. Top this with cheese and onion and more sauce and put another dipped tortilla on top and repeat this 2 times. Heat in the oven or under the broiler until cheese melts and top with a fried egg. Garnish the plate with the lettuce and tomato. You can serve this with fried potatoes or pinto beans.
• To make a casserole, you can layer the above in a baking dish with the final layer on top being cheese, do not put eggs on the casserole. Bake for about 20 minutes, until all is warm and melted. Garnish with lettuce and tomato. Can also serve with sour cream, chopped olives and guacamole.
• Remove the stems and seeds of the chile pods. Soak the pods in water or simmer on stove for about 10 minutes. Place chile and garlic in a blender with 1/4 cup water and puree until smooth. (Use 6 to 8 pods of chile and 2 cloves of garlic at a time, which will make the puree smoother and easier to work with.) Add more water as needed to get a medium consistency. In a sauce pan, add pureed chile with Mexican Oregano and salt to taste. Bring to a slow boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes. Pork can be browned and added to sauce while simmering.