Serious Heat: Huntley Dent's Red Chile Sauce Recipe
Note: On Thursdays, Andrea Lynn, associate editor of Chile Pepper magazine, drops by to drop some Serious Heat.
During my time pursuing a culinary degree, school didn't provide all my food-related lessons. I worked as a live-in nanny for a Long Island family, who introduced me to numerous new things: Delia Smith’s technique of roasting meat at a super-high temperature, the standby of Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic, and the recipe for Huntley Dent’s versatile Red Chile Sauce. At the time, I never knew homemade red chile sauce could taste so good (or that I could even make it at home). The chile powder was transformed into such a luxuriously silky, heat-spiked sauce. They schooled me on using good-quality chile powder—my personal go-to choice for the recipe is Chimayo Red Chile Powder from Santa Fe School of Cooking.
The family would braise a hunk of pork shoulder in the sauce for hours, and then serve it over garlic-heavy, soft white beans. But my favorite way to use the red chile sauce is for enchiladas. Simply poach chicken breasts, shred the meat, then combine it with the sauce and cheddar cheese. Wrap in tortillas, top with more sauce and cheese, and bake in a 400°F oven until warm. Dollop with sour cream to tame the heat.
Basic Red Chile Sauce
- makes 2 cups -
Zest Factor: Hot
Adapted from The Feast of Santa Fe by Huntley Dent.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 to 4 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup red chile powder
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
Procedure
1. In a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, warm oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté gently for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Stir in the oregano, cumin and flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until this roux-like mixture bubbles up and begins to turn a very light brown, about 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the chile powder and water until smoothly blended. Pour mixture into the flour-onion paste, stirring with a whisk to prevent lumps. Return the pan to medium heat and bring the sauce to the boiling point. Stir constantly to prevent chiles from scorching until bubbles form. When the sauce just begins to show signs of active boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 2 to 3 minutes more. Make sure to stir a few times, reaching thoroughly around the bottom and sides of the pan to catch any lumps beginning to form. When the sauce is thickened, and smooth, add the salt, beginning with the smaller amount. Remove from heat and set aside until needed. The finished red chile sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon heavily.
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8 Comments:
I have just started making my own enchilada sauce, and as with most things, it is sooo much better than the canned stuff. And it's great to make extra and freeze. I will give this one a shot, I'm sure it will be tasty!
erinlovestoeat at 11:28AM on 06/03/09
Chimayo red *is* the best, but I don't know anyone back home in New Mexico who puts onion in their chile rojo, and the cumin and oregano are also controversial (some put it in, while some insist that's "Tex Mex," not New Mexican, so there you go...). Also, I think it's important to fry the chile powder in the hot roux for about 20-30 seconds, just as you would toast curry spices, or the finished sauce tastes a little flat. Then, you pour in the water (I use chicken broth instead) gradually, whisking until smooth. Be careful with the toasting--as soon as you can smell it, it's time to start adding the broth; burnt chile is inedibly bitter.
okupin at 12:34PM on 06/03/09
I agree with okupin, cumin is a controversial move. I would say, leave that out as an ex-New Mexican, I found good chile sauce stands well on its own (especially with good chile in it) w/o the addition of cumin.
greenteacup at 1:52PM on 06/03/09
As a long-time New Mexican, I can say that cumin and organo are definitely no-no's. Garlic tends to turn meatless chile sour. I agree with greenteacup; as long as you're using really good chile, like Chimayo, you do not need all the extra "flavorings".
soozm32 at 2:00PM on 06/03/09
As a born and raised Mexican-Texan, my take would be to add an equal amount of ground coriander to the cumin. :) I also make enchilada sauce at home, but use whole dried chiles rather than powdered. It means we have the keep the windows open during the sauce making, but it also allows me to play with the number and type of chiles I use (my current favorite: 3-4 extra hot hatch, 3 guajillo, 3 chipotle, 3 dundicot).
Mhlia at 2:07PM on 06/03/09
I adapted my recipe for chile sauce from American Cooking: The Great West, part of the Time-Life Foods of the World series. Great with huevos rancheros, chili, enchiladas or, as you mention, for braising meats.
GoodStuffNW at 3:16PM on 06/03/09
So nice to hear appreciation of Chimayo chile powder. That's my go-to chile powder, and there's nothing like it.
chanterelle at 10:22PM on 06/03/09
I'd like to get some input from New Mexicans as to a good (and reasonable) source for Chimayo red chile powder. The above link to the Santa Fe School of Cooking offers you 4 ounces of Chimayo chile powder for $20 (that's eighty dollars a pound, folks), plus another $12 in shipping. That 's absolutely ridiculous.
I found a place online called the Savory Spice shop, located in Denver, that has Chimayo chile for a more reasonable $11 a pound. Any other suggestions? Thanks!
sazerac at 8:48PM on 06/12/09