The difference? It’s all in the sauce man, it’s
the sauce. That thick, gooey red sauce that smells like a smoldering
mesquite campfire in the desert.
Homemade red chile sauce is wonderful as a dip
with corn chips, spooned over that pork enchilada or drizzled
on your crispy beef taco.
Most commercially made chile sauces are bound
with tomatoes and lots of vinegar. Tomatoes make the stuff red,
and vinegar is a cheap, natural preservative. You know what I’m
talking about – that canned and bottled stuff from the supermarket.
But real, true red chile sauce is simply a blend
of dried chiles that are reconstituted in hot water, and then
a bit of oregano and garlic is added. That’s it: just chiles,
water, garlic, oregano and a bit of salt.
Drying chiles is an ancient method of preservation.
It helps to concentrate the flavors of the chiles, while giving
them a smoky, woodsy flavor. And drying chiles helps to tone down
the heat factor, which is a personal taste preference. I certainly
don’t want to ruin a good grilled skirt steak by smothering it
in chopped, fresh Anaheim chiles that will leave my mouth burning
for hours.
Today, our markets offer all sorts of varieties
of dried chiles – Arbol, Chipotle, and California are a few of
the more popular varieties.
Start by bringing the chiles back to life in some
boiling water. After about 20 minutes, they’ll be ready to make
into sauce. Drain the chiles from the water. But don’t throw out
the water, we’re going to use it in our sauce.
Next, let the chiles cool to room temperature.
Simply remove the stems and seeds and put the chile pieces into
a blender. Add some garlic, dried oregano, salt and some of the
chile poaching water.
Have
you ever wondered why you don’t seem to be able to duplicate that
“true” Mexican flavor when you try to make enchiladas at home? You
pull the recipe off the restaurant’s website, you buy all the same
ingredients, you follow the recipe exactly. But alas, while your
pulled pork enchilada looks like the one you had at the Mexican
Cantina overlooking the cliffs of Acapulco, your poor little red
sauce just doesn’t taste the same.
