Red Chile Sauce
Cooler weather makes me crave things that are warm and spicy… like this tangy rich Guajillo Chile Sauce made from beautiful dried red chile pods.
The earthy guajillo (pronounced gwah-HEE-yoh) chile makes a wonderful sauce because it’s got a complex fruity flavor that delivers a subtle kick at the end without setting your face on fire.
This chile sauce really lets you live a little: put a warm spoonful on scrambled eggs, marinate skinless chicken breasts, rub it into a steak or swirl it into some hummus… an easy way to elevate any flavor profile.
And, yes, it is the perfect Enchilada Sauce.
You can find these chilies in ethnic food stores or larger supermarkets. If guajillos aren’t available, dried anchos chilies are a nice substitute… but your sauce will be a little bit spicier.
Here’s a fun fact: in Spanish, guajillo means “little gourd” because the seeds rattle around inside the dried pepper. I know, I know… I’ve got too much useless information rattling around inside MY head.
Red Chile Sauce (Salsa de Chile Guajillo)
prep: 60 minutes
cook: 10 minutes
you’ll need…
24 dried Guajillo or red chile pods
1½ quarts boiling water
3 cored tomatoes, cut in half
½ onion
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 tablespoon canola oil
salt to taste
let’s get to it…
PUT ON GLOVES then remove the stems, seeds and veins from the chilies.
Rinse in warm water; shake off excess water. Heat a skillet on medium high heat and toast the chilies on each side for about 1 minute; set aside. You’ll probably have to do this in batches. Don’t burn the pods or the sauce will be bitter.
Place toasted chilies in a large bowl and cover with boiling water; soak for 30 minutes.
Toast tomatoes, onion and garlic in skillet on medium high heat until golden brown; set aside.
DO NOT DISCARD SOAKING WATER. Taste the water. If it’s bitter, discard and use tap water. Remove chilies from water and place in a food processor or blender container along with the tomatoes, onion and garlic. Add soaking water ½-cup at a time until you reach your desired sauce consistency.
Heat oil in skillet for 1 minute; pour sauce from blender into skillet and bring to a boil. Remove from heat; use immediately or cool and store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
Pingback: Mama's High Strung ® » Blog Archive Hatch Chile Aïoli with Fried Green Tomatoes
Hi! This looks so good! I love the flavor toasting gives a pepper! I found you from Naptime Review and wanted to say Hi! 🙂 I’m pinning this because YUM!
~Honey of HoneysLife.com
It’s really not that difficult to make… but WEAR GLOVES!