Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

For a hotter sauce, substitute 2 or 3 New Mexico chiles in place of 2 or 3 of the California chiles.

Wash chiles thoroughly. Place in a large saucepan and cover generously with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand 45 minutes or until softened. Drain chiles, reserving soaking liquid. Pull off stems, slit chiles open and rinse off seeds.

Place chiles and 1 cup soaking liquid in blender or food processor.

Process until pureed. Turn into a sieve and rub through sieve into bowl to eliminate small bits of peel. Rinse blender with an additional 1 cup soaking liquid and pour over remaining pulp in sieve.

Heat oil or lard and garlic in a medium saucepan. When oil is fragrant with garlic, discard garlic clove. Stir in flour until mixture is smooth.

Cook about 1 minute. Add pureed chile mixture and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cook and stir until slightly thickened. Taste and add more salt if needed.