My Stacey decided that she wanted to make tamales. It was that time of year I guess; feeling kinda nostalgic. I don't know, but we needed a red sauce to flavor the masa and the meat. So, I think, "I can do a red sauce!" I get on the internet....cuz that's what I do... and do some research. I'm looking at all these recipes and thinking, "Oh, its not that hard." I knew I'd done it before at some point in time. I go to the local grocery story and find myself standing, looking at a wall of dried chiles! I'm thinking, "What the heck did I get myself into?!" Half of them are in Spanish with English translation and I don't know peppers. I don't know what's hot and what's not, what's flavorful.
So, there was this lady and she just walks past me like I'm not there; grabs chiles off the wall. I'm like, "Whoa, hold up." I'm always leaning on people smarter than me. I was like, "I wanna make red sauce." She says, "This is how you make red sauce", and she rattles off her recipe! I'm just locking it all in! I grab the same peppers she grabbed and I come home and make red sauce. Over the course of several tries, I came up with my own red sauce recipe.
Yields Approximately 1 Quart
Equipment:
Large Pot
Blender
Fine Sieve or Strainer
Ingredients:
1oz Japones Chiles (about 40 chiles)
1oz Dry California Chile (about 9 chiles) or New Mexico Chiles (see preparation instructions)
3oz onion, chopped (1/2 medium onion)
2 cloves of garlic (mashed)
1 - 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1 Bay Leaf
4 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/4 Season Salt
1 tsp Knorr Bouillon Powder
1 tps Sugar
Dry Chile Preparation:
Step 1: Remove stems
Step 2: Cut length wise, remove veins and seeds
Sauce Instructions:
Step 1: In a dry pot over medium heat, toast chiles until soft and fragrant. *Burnt chiles will ruin the sauce.* Remove from hot stock pot immediately.
Step 2: In the same pot, add tsp of oil and sauté onions and garlic over medium heat until softened. *Careful not to burn the garlic.*
Step 3: Return chiles to the pan, add bay leaf, tomatoes, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
Step 4: Reduce heat and simmer for at least 30 mins.
Step 5: Remove bay leaf and puree contents in blender.
Step 6: Run puree though a fine sieve or strainer to catch seeds and chile skin.
Step 7: Return sauce to pot, add seasonings, bouillon powder, and sugar. Simmer on low until sauce thickens. Stir often.
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