Chile Sauces: Red or Green

Red Chile Sauce

By Cat, Mar 2008 (Photo of Red Chile Sauce, right, from Wikimedia Commons, Photo of Green Chile Sauce, below, from Wikimedia Commons)

See also: 1. Kev’s Taco Sauce; 2. Fresh Salsa (Pico de Gallo); 3. Salsa Verde; 3. Adobo Marinade 

My friend Kevynne loves SW and Mexican foods, and shared  her recipes for Red Chile Sauce and Green Chile Sauce, that I’ve adapted here. Kev says, “These two sauces are so good you’ll want to have somebody over to share and show off.  Each recipe will make enough for two people to each have two big enchiladas two nights in a row.” (8 big or 12 small enchiladas).

Chile sauce is a basic ingredient for many recipes, including enchilada sauce, huevos rancheros, tamales, soups, beans, and much more, including condiments on many American dishes such as hamburgers and steaks. The type and amount of chile used determines not only the flavor but also the relative heat in the sauce. 

Kevynne’s Red and Green Chile Sauces

• Her red chile sauce is the hotter of the two recipes, with several New Mexico chiles for the dominant flavor.
• She prefers the milder green chile sauce, which uses tomatillos for the dominant flavor and mild Anaheim (California) chiles for just a little heat.

About Chiles

See my post, Chiles (About), for information including:

• Using dried chiles;
• Roasting chile peppers; and
• Recipe for Chipotle en Adobo.

Refer also to The Cook’s Thesaurus (1,2) for a great description, with pictures, of many different fresh (2) and dried (1) chiles.  Also for suggestions of reasonable substitutes if you can’t find a particular chile.

Kev’s Red Chile Sauce

Kevynne points out that many recipes for enchilada sauce are made with tomatoes, because they are red.  However, it’s much more authentic if you use red chiles and no tomatoes.  (Tomatoes make it taste like spaghetti sauce).  If you want tomatoes in your dish, such as enchiladas, you can add them separately, as a garnish.

Ingredients & Equipment:

(Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)

• 10 whole dried New Mexico chiles
  

  New Mexico Chiles, Dried

• filtered water
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• ground cumin, to taste (optional)
• about 2 cups homemade chicken stock or rich mineral veggie broth, divided
• Unrefined sea salt, to taste
• Equipment:
• Cast iron skillet
• Stock pot. with lid or a dish that will fit inside the pot to keep the chiles submerged in water
• Food processor or blender
• strainer or food mill

Method:

1. Prepare chiles: Preheat oven to 250°F. Place the dried chiles in cast iron skillet and roast them dry in the preheated oven for 3-4 minutes, being careful not to let them burn (this softens them).
2. Fill a pot just large enough to hold the chiles with water; bring the water to a boil and remove the pot from heat.
3. Add the roasted chiles to the hot water and, using a weight such as a pot lid or dish, keep them submerged until they are soft, about 30 minutes.
4. Best to use rubber gloves for this step: remove the chiles from the water; stem, seed and tear them into strips; set aside.
5. Cat’s note about cumin:  If you choose to season the sauce with cumin, you will get the best result if you warm whole cumin seeds in a dry cast iron skillet until they are fragrant, before grinding. Then grind the warmed seeds in mortar & pestle. It is best to incorporate the ground cumin with the oil/onion mixture (below), as the warmed oil brings out the flavor of the cumin.
6. Prepare sauce: While chiles are resting in the water, chop the onions and mince the garlic.
   

   Food Mill (Moulinette)

7. Put the chile strips, sautéed onion, garlic and 1 cup of the chicken stock into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth; strain. (Cat’s note: I found my food mill works best; my strainer has too fine a mesh. Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons).
8. Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil in cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the chile mixture to the hot oil and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add remaining chicken stock until the sauce is the desired consistency.
9. Add salt to taste.
10. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Keeps 2-3 days, refrigerated.

Kev’s Green Chile Sauce

Salsa Verde (Green Chile Sauce)

Kevynne prefers this to the red sauce for most uses, because it is milder.  The New Mexico chilies (in the Red Chili Sauce) have a lot of capsicum, which make it a warmer sauce.

Tomatillos, if you are not familiar with them, are a bit like tomatoes, but have a loose, dry, papery husk on the outside, which is peeled off.  The skin inside is a bit sticky.  Tomatillos come in many colors; I like the ones with the dark red fruit, but for this recipe, you would want the green ones (see photo, below).

If you can’t find Anaheim chilies, Kevynne recommends using one 4-oz can diced mild chilies for every 2 Anaheims in a recipe.

Ingredients & Equipment:

Tomatillo

(Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)

• 1 jalapeño chile, seeded and diced
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 4 tomatillos, husked and diced
• 1 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock or rich mineral veggie broth
• 2 Anaheim (California) chiles, roasted, peeled, cored, seeded and diced (or substitute one 4-oz can diced mild chilies)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 Tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 1 Tbsp heavy cream (optional)
• Unrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Equipment:
• small bowl
• medium saucepan
• Food processor or blender

Method:

1. Wash, seed and dice the jalapeño.  Husk and dice the tomatillos; add to saucepan.  Place both in the saucepan.
2. Crush the garlic with the side of a knife blade.  Chop the green onions (white and green parts). Add both to saucepan.
3. Wash, roast, peel, core, seed and dice the Anaheim chilies into a bowl.
4. Wash, dry and chop the cilantro.
5. Squeeze lime juice and add to Anaheims and cilantro in a small bowl; set aside.
6. Add stock/broth to jalapeño, garlic, green onions & tomatillos in saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 1 cup, about 15-20 minutes.
7. Pour this mixture into a blender or food processor. Add the Anaheim chiles, cilantro and lime juice; puree until smooth. Add salt and pepper. If using, add the cream and mix again. Serve warm. Keep 1-2 days, refrigerated.

References:

1. Kevynne L., Portland OR