This method of making chile sauce differs from others using fresh green New Mexican chiles because these chiles aren’t roasted and peeled first, as you must do with green chiles. Because of the high sugar content of fresh red chiles, this sauce is sweeter than most. We harvested some chiles from his garden one late summer day, made a batch of this sauce, and ate every drop as a soup! It makes a tasty enchilada sauce, too. It will keep for about a week in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil
8 fresh red New Mexican chiles (or more to taste), seeds and stems removed, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano leaves
Salt to taste

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and saute the chiles, onion, and garlic until the onion is soft, about 7 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, uncovered.

In a blender, puree the sauce in batches and return it to the saucepan. Cook until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency. Add salt to taste.

This is a basic recipe that can be used interchangeably with any of the mild red chile powders. (If this sauce were made from some of the hotter powders such as piquin, it would be too hot to eat!) Adjust the amount of powder to change the pungency of the sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 3 to 4 tablespoons New Mexican red chile powder

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

• 3 cups chicken stock or water

• Salt to taste

Instructions

In a pan, heat the oil and saute the onions and garlic until they are slightly browned. Add the flour and continue to cook for 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the flour is browned, being careful that it does not burn.

Stir in the chile powder and cumin and heat for a couple of minutes.

Add the broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the desired consistency is obtained. Salt to taste.

Variation:  For a smoother sauce, either puree the onion and garlic or substitute 1 teaspoon onion powder and 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder and add along with the chile powder.

This basic sauce can be used in a variety of Southwestern dishes that call for a red sauce, as well as in place of ketchup when making salad dressings and other dishes. Other large dried chiles such as guajillo, pasilla, or ancho chiles can be added or substituted. This sauce will keep up to one week in the refrigerator, or you can freeze it.

Ingredients

• 12 dried whole red New Mexican chiles

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• 3 cups water

Instructions

Place the chiles on a baking pan and put in a 250° oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chiles smell like they are toasted, being careful not to let them burn. Remove the stems and seeds and crumble the pods into a saucepan.

Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the chiles are soft.

Puree the mixture in a blender or a food processor and strain. If the sauce is too thin, place it back on the stove and simmer until it is reduced to the desired consistency.