Salsa de Chile Colorado

My mother’s enchiladas photographed by Laurie Smith                                          www.lauriesmithphoto.com

SALSA DE CHILE COLORADO
(Red Chile Sauce)

This is probably the most versatile version of the red chile sauces. It also shows two important techniques. To develop the flavor of the dried chiles while softening them and taking away any bitterness, they are washed, quickly heated on a griddle, and soaked in hot water. Learn to recognize the moment when they are fragrant but not scorched — this is something you’ll be encountering in many dishes. Scorched chiles will turn the entire dish bitter and unusable. The other technique to note is one that I have made an even more special point of in my own cooking: After the sauce has been pureed it is finished by being cooked in a small amount of hot fat. This kind of final sauteing is an important addition to flavor in dozens of the dishes we serve at Zarela. It both deepens and melds the effects of separate ingredients. This particular chile sauce is also bound with a roux, which is not true of all.

This sauce can be used to make red enchiladas, enchiladas rojas, with any preferred filling. It is used with cooked pork to make carne con chile colorado (p. 000) and to season pozole (hominy soup with pork and chicken), menudo (tripe soup), or northern-style tamales. We also used it with string beans or potatoes to make simple Lenten dishes (see p. 000). In that case the sauce would have been cooked with vegetable oil and water instead of lard and chicken stock.

6               ounces large semi-hot dried red chiles, such as New Mexico
or Anaheim long green chiles.
Hot water
2               teaspoons Mexican oregano
3               garlic cloves
2               cups (approximately) water, chicken stock, or pork stock
2               tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
l  l/2          tablespoons flour
l teaspoon salt, or to taste

Heat a heavy skillet or griddle over medium-high heat.  Meanwhile, remove stems and seeds from chiles while rinsing under cold running water. Place them on griddle and toast, three or four at a time, just until the aroma is released, 30 – 60 seconds. Be careful not to burn them. Place the chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak until softened, about l0 minutes. Drain chiles and discard liquid.

Place chiles, oregano, 2 garlic cloves, and 2 cups of water or stock in container of blender and process to a smooth puree. Add more stock if it is too thick for the blender. With a wooden spoon or pusher, work the puree through a sieve into a bowl, pushing and scraping to get all the solids. You may want to pour in a little more liquid to help rinse the sauce through the sieve.

In heavy medium saucepan, heat lard over medium-high heat until rippling. Add remaining garlic clove and brown in the hot fat, pressing down with the back of a cooking spoon to release the flavor. Remove and discard garlic.

Add flour to hot fat and cook, stirring constantly, until golden. Add the strained chile puree to the pan and reduce the heat to low. It will splatter as you pour it in — be careful. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until raw taste is gone and flavor of chile is mellowed, about l0 minutes..

Can be stored tightly covered in refrigerator for up to a week or indefinitely in freezer.

Yield: about 2 cups

VARIATION: My mother has a shortcut version of Salsa de Chile Colorado that I sometimes use, replacing the whole dried chiles with powdered red chile. Not, I beg you,  U.S. “chili powder!” Be sure to get pure powdered red chile, available at spice and gourmet stores.  Because it is sometimes a little harsh-flavored she adds vinegar and sugar, which can be omitted or varied to taste. Pour about l cup boiling water over l/2 cup powdered chile; stir in l/4 cup cider vinegar if desired, l teaspoon oregano, salt to taste, l teaspoon sugar if desired, and 2 – 3 crushed garlic cloves.  Let sit  a few minutes to blend flavors. My mother sprinkles l tablespoon chile seeds on top.

You can also vary Salsa de Chile Colorado by adding 3 or 4 large ripe roasted tomatoes (see p. 000 for roasting technique) pureed with the dried chiles and garlic, as is done at Restaurant La Hacienda in El Paso, Texas.