Authentic Red Chile Sauce made entirely from scratch is a thing of beauty — you can’t get anything like this out of a can!
I’ve been cooking and sharing from Meagan Micozzi’s cookbook The New Southwest for a couple of weeks now, and today marks my last post in the series. Sad, I know, but when you get to the bottom of the post you can enter to win a free copy of the book and continue exploring it on your own. For this last recipe I chose something I’ve wanted to tackle for a while now, and thankfully Meagan’s book gave me the perfect excuse. Red Chile Sauce is the very life-blood of Southwestern cooking; you can’t really pretend to know the cuisine until you’ve made this staple sauce from scratch. The process that transforms dry leathery peppers into a smooth rich sauce is multi-stepped, but simple, and so satisfying.
In the end you’re left with an authentic sauce that is itself the starting point for an endless list of traditional dishes, like enchiladas, tamales, chili, huevos rancheros… I’m looking forward to having a few jars in the freezer this winter.
Meagan calls for New Mexican or California dried chilies in the recipe. If you can’t find them in your grocery store, be sure to ask, they often stash them in out of the way spots. You can always buy them online, too. They keep forever, so I suggest stocking up for future sauce making. I used the California chiles, which are a little less hot than the New Mexico variety. My sauce had a perfect hint of heat, not overwhelming at all.
The additional flavors in this sauce, like the recipe itself, are simple. Roasted garlic, a few classic Southwestern herbs like cumin, coriander and oregano, and some salt. I added my own kick with a touch of sherry vinegar at the very end to satisfy my taste for a little tang in my sauce. I think it brought it to life.
I’ve really enjoyed cooking from The New Southwest these past few weeks. In this vibrant collection of recipes Meagan celebrates the culinary melting pot of “Native American, Mexican, Tex-Mex, and classic Americana”, a cuisine which she says is one of the most varied and inclusive she’s ever known. She takes it on from the fresh perspective of an outsider, and, while respecting it, gives it playful nudges with recipes like Peanut Butter and Jelly Empanadas, Coffee Rubbed Lamb Chops, and Caramel Soaked Mexican Pancakes. But there are plenty of classics in the collection, too, like my chile sauce, so you definitely get a dose of tradition along with the playfulness.
I think one of the qualities that sets The New Southwest apart is that it’s approachable on so many levels, from the recipes, to the photos, and even Meagan’s cheerful writing style. I don’t feel like I’m being ‘taught’, as much as I’m being included in an exciting journey. None of the recipes are complex, and for me that is key. When I leaf through a cookbook with elaborate recipes, no matter how fabulous they look, my eyes glaze over…this one makes me want to dive right in. I highly recommend the book, I’ll bet you don’t have anything like it on your shelf!
Ingredients
- 10 cloves of garlic
- 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- salt
- 8 ounces dried New Mexico or California red chile pods, stemmed and seeded
- 5 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground oregano (preferably Mexican)
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
Instructions
- Set the oven to 350F
- Peel and toss the garlic cloves with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Wrap them in foil and roast for 30 minutes. The cloves will be softened and fragrant. Place the cloves in the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the blade attachment,
- Put the chile pods in a large heavy bottomed stockpot. Heat the pot over a medium flame and stir the chiles until they start to toast and release their aroma. This will take about 2-4 minutes, but watch carefully, they burn easily. Stir continuously.
- Fill the pot with water, and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally so all the chiles get submerged, and cook for about 15-20 minutes. Remove the chilies, but reserve 5 cups of the cooking water.
- Working in 2 batches, puree the chiles along with the garlic cloves. Run the machine until the chiles are ground down to a smooth, thick paste, and stop to scrape down the sides of the machine if necessary. Process in the reserved liquid and run until smooth. Again, you will need to do this in batches so your machine doesn't overflow.
- Strain the sauce through mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Be sure to push the sauce through with the back of a spoon to get all the liquid through. Discard the solids.
- Set the same pan over medium heat add 5 tablespoons of oil, and then add the flour, stirring until it forms a paste. Add in the spices, and stir continuously until smooth.
- Whisk in the chile mixture, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes until the sauce is thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
- Cool the sauce and then store in tightly closed containers in the refrigerator.
Notes
This recipe is from The New Southwest
Now for some fun news — I’m excited to tell you that Hippocrene Books is giving away free copies to 14 lucky readers! Just leave a comment at the end of this post, and follow the instructions below for more ways to enter. Are you feeling lucky? I hope so!
NOTE: THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED
Enter to win a copy of The New Southwest!
Hippocrene will be supplying 14 copies of The New Southwest by Meagan Micozzi for this giveaway, in conjunction with The New Southwest Cookbook Spotlight. Contest is open to anybody with a shipping address in the USA. Submissions will be accepted via the rafflecopter widget through 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, November 3, 2013. Fourteen winners will be chosen by random draw, verified, and be notified by email (from Heather at girlichef) within 48 hours of the close of this contest. The winner should respond within 24 hours of notification, or a new winner will be drawn in their place. Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I was sent a free copy of The New Southwest, but all opinions are my own.
91 Comments
SeattleDee
August 26, 2016 at 7:29 amSW cooking rocks my boat! Drat, I have too many favorite dishes to pick just one… just like favorite cookbooks. Winning a copy of TNS would be a treat, but your posts have convinced me I NEED to purchase a copy and cook my way through the recipes.
Vickie
August 26, 2016 at 12:02 amReal cornmeal tamales!
Mexican is my favorite..thanks for the recipe..I am pinning.
I am so fortunate to have the best Latin/Mexican market 10 minutes from me..of all places Florida!
Thanks. I hope to win! ???????
Sue
August 26, 2016 at 7:31 amThe giveaway has ended Vickie, sorry! But I hope you try this sauce, especially if you have such a great market nearby. We have lots of them here in LA, too. And I agree, tamles are sooooo good.
Vickie
August 27, 2016 at 10:15 pmSo it has. Haha. Oh well.
I will make it. I pinned the recipe. I will put the cookbook on my list to purchase too.
Thanks for the information on the cookbook and the recipe too.
Sue
August 28, 2016 at 7:46 amYou’re so welcome <3
Adrien
August 25, 2016 at 10:52 pmI’d love to try this, though I’d try to leave the flour out. Many thanks.
DEBRA
August 14, 2016 at 7:06 pmI am new to the green chilli, and her sister the red chili. We seem to be addicted to it. We would love a cookbook to try the yummy things in it. Thank you for doing a cookbook. We love all enchiladas .
Carole Eidsvoog
August 18, 2015 at 4:58 pmI love chile verde, especially made with Hatch chilies!
Sue
August 18, 2015 at 5:03 pmI just bought a whole new bag of hatch chiles at the farmers market, and I’m having fun figuring out what to do next!
La
November 3, 2013 at 5:57 pmDoes mole count? And anything with guacamole, of course.
J Ogden
November 3, 2013 at 3:38 pmLOVE Pasole.. this is the main course every Christmas Eve and makes for a special meal year after year..with tamales on the side, of course :-)
Judy
November 3, 2013 at 3:16 pmI’ve had a string of New Mexico chilies hanging in my house from a road trip to the southwest, and this sauce would be great with Carne Adovada!
Susanna meetze
November 3, 2013 at 2:45 pmYour sauce looks great! I’ll have to try it too.
Morgen mayeda
November 3, 2013 at 2:44 pmChicken tortilla soup or cheese enchiladas! Yum!
Lea
November 3, 2013 at 1:58 pmAuthentic Chili Rellenos, refried beans, and mexican rice! :)
Margaret
November 3, 2013 at 1:52 pmEnchiladas anyway, anytime, anywhere!
Cari
November 3, 2013 at 1:43 pmChicken tortilla soup.
tewanda
November 3, 2013 at 1:07 pmI would love to have this cookbook.
Delanea
November 3, 2013 at 12:59 pmTamales and enchiladas!
Susan
November 3, 2013 at 12:56 pmSince we are planning to move to the SW in the near future, this would be a great welcome.
Anna Prewitt
November 3, 2013 at 12:53 pmSour cream enchilada , Spanish Rice
Susie P.
November 3, 2013 at 10:11 amHomemade chips and salsa! Love thin and crispy tortilla chips.
Jennifer M
November 2, 2013 at 11:34 amAny kind of taco on a corn tortilla with avocado!
faleen fedol
November 1, 2013 at 9:10 pmI make some delicious veggie patties with black beans, corn and onion, among other ingredients. Then i lightly fry them in a bit of olive oil until crispy on the edges and cooked thru and serve them on a toasted onion roll with some melted Monterey Jack on them and some pineapple salsa.
karen
November 1, 2013 at 4:27 pmEnchiladas!
Elisabeth Steadman
November 1, 2013 at 4:02 pmMy favorite of all time is probably chiles rellenos. Yum. But I can’t eat those any more!
I do love enchiladas, too. I just made a huge batch from scratch, just like yours, for a Halloween party. But my sauce always turns out MUCH darker even though I use the same chiles. I wonder why?
The sauce freezes beautifully, and so do pans of the enchiladas. Great to have on hand.
Sue
November 1, 2013 at 4:53 pmI was really surprised by the bright red, myself, since the dried chiles are very dark. Mine turned brighter red after they were cooked in the water.
Julie Webber
November 1, 2013 at 12:29 pmMole Poblano!!
Donna
November 1, 2013 at 11:24 amEnchiladas have always been my favorite Mexican dish. I’m going to try this one this week!
Thanks for the lovely postings and pictures. Keep up the good work.
J Oldroyd
November 1, 2013 at 9:18 amSometimes I just have a real craving for good enchilidas. This sauce recipe sounds awesome.
Jenny
October 30, 2013 at 12:24 pmRed chili chicken enchiladas, with fresh sopapillas and flan for dessert!
Ginger
October 30, 2013 at 11:46 amMy daughter and I made tamales a couple weeks ago, SO good! I make a pretty mean pozole as well.
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
October 30, 2013 at 9:36 amMy favorite – Quesadillas!
Eliza
October 30, 2013 at 4:04 amHomemade refried beans!
Debbie L
October 29, 2013 at 8:22 pmI love this..
http://main.kitchendaily.com/recipe/black-bean-and-chipotle-tostadas-with-cr-me-fra-che-153327/
Kris H
October 29, 2013 at 5:02 pmEnchiladas!!
Jay
October 29, 2013 at 3:02 pmCarne Adovada
deneen
October 29, 2013 at 1:15 pmHonestly, I don’t have a favorite Southwestern dish. I don’t anything about that cuisine…which is exactly why I need to add this book to my collection!! :)
Pat
October 29, 2013 at 1:13 pmstacked enchiladas and a wonderful chile sauce I had in Denver
Kim
October 29, 2013 at 11:52 amIsn’t it amazing how we sometimes overlook the simplest of recipes like this one? It will be very inspiring to have a few jars of this red chile sauce stored up for future recipes. You will be able to create all kinds of masterpieces with this sauce :)
Kristie P
October 29, 2013 at 11:05 amCan’t wait to make this! My favorite are chile rellenos with real green chiles. So so good!
sott kennedy
October 29, 2013 at 11:04 amI have tried many of your recipes and can`t wait to try this one. thank you so much
Jean
October 29, 2013 at 10:55 amI love enchiladas, and this book looks fabulous!
gina lovejoy
October 29, 2013 at 10:53 ammy all time favorite tamales. Oh love them love them
Abbe@This is How I Cook
October 29, 2013 at 10:50 amFor me, it is cheese enchiladas sprinkled with chopped white onion. That way the red or green chile is the star. And i love both!
Barbara Bradford
October 29, 2013 at 10:49 amMy so far, all-time favorite is Rancheros Huevos. I am thinking your red sauce would be perfect to add a bit of heat. Thank you for the recipe
Jan
October 29, 2013 at 10:33 amI love anything with chili sauce-especially breakfast dishes.
AMay
October 29, 2013 at 10:16 amFish tacos Baja style! Thanks for the great recipes and beautiful photos, I am always looking forward to your next post!
Mary Ann carlson
October 29, 2013 at 9:54 amCan’t wait to try this sauce! Thanks.
Stephanie Corrales
October 29, 2013 at 9:50 amHaving travelled to Arizona & New Mexico I have come to appreciate their LOVE of Chiles – Red and/or Green – with Hatch Chiles being one of the main staples in Southwest cuisine. I love the mix of cultures – Indigenous Pueblo, Spanish, & Cowboy – that influence SW Cooking; it’s hearty, homey, complete comfort food at it’s simplest & finest. Definitely food that warms the heart & soul…not to mention leaves this Californian craving more! Whatever you do, please don’t ask me to choose Red or Green because I’ll always say CHRISTMAS! Some may think I’m a glutton for punishment because you never know how hot the Chile is going to be until you eat it. Oh drat! Now I’m craving a sopapilla stuffed with Chile Verde, Jack Cheese, lettuce/tomato for lunch LOL!
Phyllis
October 29, 2013 at 9:46 amMy very favorite recipe from your site is the Green Tabasco Martini, followed closely by your Chile Verde with Chicken. I took the martini a step further by infusing vodka with cucumbers. Yummy.
Sue
October 29, 2013 at 9:59 amWow Phyllis, I’m going to have to try that!
Phyllis
October 29, 2013 at 10:53 amI used 2-3 small unpeeled Armenian cucumbers from Trader Joes chopped in 1/4″ pieces. Put into a clean glass jar and added 1 750 bottle Ketel One vodka. Covered and put in a closet for 4 days. Strain back into original bottle, but save the pieces to use in the martini. You can use any vodka of choice. Thanks so much for that recipe and your entire site. Love it.
Pam Capone
October 29, 2013 at 9:36 amIt’s between Migas and Stacked Chicken Enchiladas
Jan R
October 29, 2013 at 9:35 amI LOVE nachos…
Jenny Hartin
October 29, 2013 at 9:33 amAnything with corn.
SallyBR
October 29, 2013 at 9:23 amThe sauce looks absolutely amazing!
and your photos so beautiful!
Sherry Libby
October 29, 2013 at 9:23 amChile Rellano’s are my favorite.
Kate
October 29, 2013 at 9:19 amI can always go for enchiladas and am glad to see a red sauce that can be made in a larger batch to make popping a can open less likely to happen. That stuff is horrible. I have whirred tomatoes in a blender with other flavorings in lieu of the dreaded can but this stocked freezer approach is even quicker.
Thanks for the book winning opportunity.
Cheers!
Mid
October 29, 2013 at 9:16 amI LOVE anything southwest! I shake cayenne pepper into my hot or cold chocolate, and on just about everything I eat. Green Chili Tabasco? Yum!! This is one I’m going to try with my own dried chilies (to start out.)
AmBo
October 29, 2013 at 4:52 amIt looks like this is much more “do-able” than I would have thought! Wondering if this is a spicy version of the sauce or not.
AmBo
October 29, 2013 at 4:53 amand…. I love home made refried beans more than anything in the world!
Sue
October 29, 2013 at 8:25 amThis was totally doable, in fact I can see that once you make it, you can almost do it by eye the n
ext time. And no, this wasn’t spicy, but I think chiles vary in their amount of heat, even among ones of the same variety, so you never know for sure what you’re going to get. I used California chiles, which are supposed to be fairly moderate in heat.
Lourdes
October 29, 2013 at 1:02 amChicken Enchiladas!
judith
October 28, 2013 at 10:14 pmMigas! Although everything you have shown is fabulous.
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
October 28, 2013 at 9:15 pmI love the versatility of this sauce, it would be wonderful on enchiladas!
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
October 28, 2013 at 8:29 pmDivine! I love a good homemade sauce :)
Jane
October 28, 2013 at 7:47 pmIt is hard to choose one favorite. So….. my three favorites are enchiladas, fajitas and guacamole. I really enjoy your posts. Thank you!
Jo
October 28, 2013 at 7:35 pmI love chimachangas, salsa, lots of cilantro on my food.
Ouida Lampert
October 28, 2013 at 7:12 pmYum, carnitas!
Mary
October 28, 2013 at 4:42 pmLove your red chile sauce – would also love the cookbook!
Mary x
Judy
October 28, 2013 at 3:05 pmGuacamole. Yum. I can eat it plain, on top of my enchiladas, in my burrito, with my chips. Muy bueno.
Alison Arsenault
October 28, 2013 at 2:56 pmI am still trying out different recipes so I cannot say what is my favorite although I really enjoy Chicken Quesadillas
Susan
October 28, 2013 at 2:37 pmAnything with Hatch chilies! I used to live near the 4 corners and the chili roasters would be outside the grocery store at this time of year. Loved the smell. I am making Chicken chili right now with Hatch chilies!
Kathryn
October 28, 2013 at 2:36 pmChile rellenos casserole is my favorite Southwest dish! And the cookbook sounds fantastic, thanks!
Cynthia bell
October 28, 2013 at 2:24 pmThe sauce looks delicious
Cynthia bell
October 28, 2013 at 2:23 pmI love southwest cooking. I am from Texas this sauce looks delicious
Kelly
October 28, 2013 at 12:48 pmOh, that sauce is SO gorgeous! I do love the many incarnations of enchiladas out there but have had poor luck making my own red sauce. Your photos and that ingredient list make me want to try again though. :D
Sue
October 28, 2013 at 12:50 pmIt was super easy, Kelly, and much thicker and richer than the canned stuff.
Penny
October 28, 2013 at 12:02 pmWhat a BEAUTIFUL post! I could drink that sauce. My favorite would be chorizo (homemade, of course) and eggs with fresh flour tortillas!
Heather // girlichef
October 28, 2013 at 11:44 amOh man, I could use a few jars of that beautiful brick red sauce in my fridge! I’m so happy that you joined in The New Southwest Cookbook Spotlight, Sue :).
jaclyn
October 28, 2013 at 11:43 amfavorite SW dish has got to be carne adovada made with fresh new mexican red chilie……
Debra
October 28, 2013 at 11:30 amMy favorite southwestern dish is Choriza and Shrimp Quesadillas.
Kel
October 28, 2013 at 11:25 amEnchiladas. thanks for the recipe!
deb
October 28, 2013 at 11:08 amGotta be tamales!
Meagan @ Scarletta Bakes
October 28, 2013 at 11:04 amWhat a beautiful, beautiful post, Sue! I am so thrilled that you chose to try this red chile sauce recipe – the flavor is one of my favorites and I love having it on hand, as you mentioned, to spice up meals of just about any variety. I am so thrilled that you enjoyed TNS, Sue, and was especially pleased to read your comments about the recipes being approachable. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Sue! I hope you continue to enjoy The New Southwest!
clare
October 28, 2013 at 10:58 amThe book looks great! I am pretty partial to enchiladas. And churros!
Jessica Erwin
October 28, 2013 at 10:50 amI love enchiladas. I would love to win a copy of this cookbook!
karen marie
October 28, 2013 at 10:46 amPick me! I’m a huge fan of SW cookery. Last night my brother made a delicious green chili sauce which we had on chicken enchiladas. I love enchiladas for their saucy, cheesy goodness.
Susan
October 28, 2013 at 10:27 amThat sauce looks terrific. I am really getting interested in this cookbook. I have read some about it.
Leigh
October 28, 2013 at 10:16 amMy favorite is Migas… breakfast, lunch or dinner