Ingredients
- 8 cups dried whole New Mexico red chile pods (medium hot)
- Water, to cover
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground or leaf Mexican oregano
- 6 cloves minced garlic, or 2 to 3 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce, optional
Directions
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.
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By cwolfman13_12940659
Corrales, 71
on November 07, 2010
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A couple things here. Living in new mexico now for 25 years i can say that a couple modifications are necessary. First, tomato anything does not belong, ever. Second, try sautee some garlic and onion to add to the puree. As far as the "bitterness"; i've generally referred to this as an "earthiness"; which is what it is supposed to be.
By kristi.ziemba_1...
Albuquerque, 71
on August 10, 2010
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I would never advise removing the seeds from the pods unless you want a slightly bland and extremely mild sauce because that's where most of the flavor and heat comes from. The key to great chile comes from cooking the pods(whole with the garlic cloves on low heat for an hour or two before processing. Also, the tomato sauce just does not belong.
For a quicker version, just use the ground red chile powder. Saute some onions, minced garlic cloves, and a jalapeno in oil. Add chile powder and pequin, then the flour to make a roux. Stir in some water and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes. Hard to beat.
By seank__13022572
Durham, 73
on July 24, 2010
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Being from New Mexico originally, I was brought up on fine Mexican dishes. This particular recipe reminds so much of restaurants that I used to frequent in Albuquerque. The flavor is great and preparation is actually quite simple. It does help to start with good quality chili. I?ve never been satisfied with the pods found in a typical grocery store. I get my dried New Mexico chili pods from Hatch County whenever I visit. You can order Hatch Chili online as well. As a personal preference, I also added a 1/2tsp of ground cumin when I made this. This sauce freezes well so make plenty and save some for later. Thanks Food Network!
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