Ancho Chile Sauce For Enchiladas Recipes

ANCHO CHILI SAUCE - RECIPE

Steps:

• Dry roast the ancho peppers on a hot pan about 1-2 minutes per side. The peppers will puff slightly and the skins will begin to turn red.
• Set them into a large pot of boiling water and remove from heat. Let them soak covered in water for 30 minutes.
• Remove the stems and coarsely chop the anchos. Reserve the soaking liquid.
• Set the chopped anchos into a food processor.
• Heat the oil in a pan to medium heat and add the onion. Cook about 5 minutes to soften.
• Add the garlic and tomato and cook another minute or so, until you can smell the garlic. Add them to the food processor.
• Add the vinegar, cumin, oregano and a bit of salt and pepper along with about 1 cup of the soaking liquid. Process until it smooths out.
• The sauce will be thick at this point. You can add more soaking liquid to achieve your desired consistency.
• Give it a taste. You can adjust with salt and pepper and this point, and if you feel it needs a touch of sweetness, add the honey and process a bit more.
• Press the sauce through a coarse strainer into a bowl. I use a wooden spoon to push it through.
• Store in the fridge in an airtight container.
• As a tasty variation, add up to 15 ounces (1 can) of tomato sauce while cooking, or after you strain the ancho chili sauce to simmer. It makes for an outstanding final sauce. Or, swirl in anywhere from 1 tablespoon to a cup of the ancho chili sauce to tomato sauce to liven up any dish.

ANCHO CHILE SAUCE RECIPE

Steps:

• Hydrate dried peppers. Place the dried chiles in a medium-sized sauce pot and add just enough water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil, and then cover the pot and and turn off the heat. Let the chiles hydrate in the hot water until they're soft, at least 20 minutes.
• Prep peppers. Remove the chiles from the pot. Use your hands or a paring knife to gently remove the stems and seeds. Add the hydrated chiles to the blender. (If you're very sensitive to the heat, I suggest wearing cooking gloves.) Remove 1 cup of the hydrating liquid from the pot and pour it in the blender. (Do not throw out remaining liquid as you can use it as a stock in other recipes.)
• Add remaining ingredients to blender and blend. Add the stock, sugar, garlic, spices, salt and pepper to the blender. Purée in the blender until the mixture is as smooth as possible. Season to taste with salt and sugar if necessary. (Here's how.)
• Use or store. Stir in the oil and it's ready to use. Or, pour the sauce into a storage container with a tight sealing lid, and place in the refrigerator, where it should keep for at least 3 weeks.

STACKED BEEF ENCHILADAS WITH ANCHO CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Trim any fat and gristle from meat; cut in 1-inch pieces. Heal oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Brown meat and then add garlic, bay leaf,oregano,salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Remove pot from heat and cool meat until lukewarm in the broth. Once warm enough to handle, remove meat from broth and shredd using hands to break up meat. Reserve the broth for Ancho Chile Sauce and other uses. NOTE: no need to wash pan yet.
• Prepare the Ancho Chile Sauce (instructions below). To make this dish easier, I made this sauce the day before. This sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days and in the freezer for 3 months.
• Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet beef was cooked in and cook onion over a meduim high heat, stirring, unti onion starts to brown (about 5 to 6 minutes). Add diced green chiles, cumin, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, an additional 3 minutes; add meat and remove from heat.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 11 X 16-inch pan. Make sure your pan is large enough that the enchiladas don't overlap. Heat oil to depth of 1/2-inch in a medium skillet and soften the tortillas 1 at a time by passing through hot oil, holding edge with tongs until limp, about 3 seconds. Drain on paper towels. Stack and cover to keep soft and warm. NOTE: I made fresh tortillas so I did not fry mine as they were still soft.
• Ladle a thin film of the Ancho Chile Sauce in pan. Place 4 tortillas side by side in pan, do not overlap. Top each with 3 tablespoons of the meat mixture. Top each with another tortilla and meat mixuter. Repeat for a third layer. Top each with cheese, olives and green onions. Cover each with the Ancho Chile Sauce.
• Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes until cheese melts and sauce bubbles. Remove from oven and cut into wedges. Serve with crema or sour cream, some diced tomatoes and sprinkle with cilantro.
• INSTRUCTIONS FOR ANCHO CHILE SAUCE FOR ENCHILADAS Wipe the chiles with a damp paper towel. Cut open and remove stems and seeds. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat and toast the chiles, turning until they are aromatic, just a few seconds should do it. Do not burn or they will be bitter. Place chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water for about 20 minutes; drain and discard water.
• Put chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, marjoram and broth in a blender. Blend to a smooth puree. This should be the consistency of a heavy cream. If too thick, add 1 tablespoon water at a time unitl desired consistency.
• Heat oil over medium heat; add chile puree. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, simmer (stirring frequently to blend flavors)for about 15 minutes. Stir in cream and heat completely, about 3 minutes. Sauce is now ready to use or you can refrigerate for 3 days or will keep in freezer for 3 months.
• HOMEMADE BASIC CORN TORTILLAS You will need a tortilla press (unless you know how press them another way) and plastic wrap. Also, you could use already made corn tortillas.
• In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together using your hands. Knead dough well until moist and smooth, not crumbly and not sticky, about 5 minutes. If dough is crumbly, moisten hands and continue to knead. If it's sticky, add 1 tablespoon of the masa flour at time until desired consistency (a smooth moist dough).
• Cover bowl with plastic and allow dough to rest 20 minutes before using. NOTE: You can refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
• Form dough into 12 equal balls about the the size of a golf ball. Keep dough covered while working to keep it from drying out. Heat a Mexican cornal of mediou skillet over medium-high heat.
• Open tortilla press and line with a piece of plastic, place dough ball in middle and cover with another piece of plastic, press firmly to form a round tortilla. Remove from press, place in palm of your hand and carefully remove plastic wrap, flip over in your hand and remove other piece of plastic.
• Lay tortilla on hot pan; cook 20 to 30 seconds, or until edges look dry. With spatula, flip and cook about 1 minute. Turn again and cook 15 seconds. Remove and stack between layers of paper towels to keep warm. Repeat to make 12 tortillas.

THE BEST RED ENCHILADA SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Arrange the ancho chiles on a baking sheet and toast in the preheated oven 3 to 4 minutes; remove the stems, pulp, and seeds from the toasted peppers. Place peppers in a bowl and pour enough hot water into bowl to cover completely; allow to soak for 1 hour.
• Combine the ancho chiles, tomato paste, corn oil, garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, and about 1 cup of the beef broth in a blender; blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a saucepan with the remaining beef broth and place over medium heat; simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes.

ANCHO CHILE SAUCE FOR ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• 1. Wipe the chiles with a damp paper towel. Cut the chiles open and remove the stems and seeds. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat and toast the chiles, turning, until they are aromatic, about 10 seconds. Do not burn, or chiles will be bitter. Put the chiles in a bowl, add hot water to cover, and soak about 20 minutes. Drain, discarding the water. 2. Put the chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, marjoram, and broth in a blender. Blend, in batches if necessary, to a smooth purée. The sauce should have the consistency of heavy cream. If too thick, add about 1 tablespoon water at a time, to reach the desired consistency. 3. In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chile purée. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer the sauce, stirring frequently to blend the flavors, about 15 minutes. Stir in the cream and heat through completely, 3 to 4 minutes. The sauce is ready to use, or store in a covered container, refrigerated up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS WITH ANCHO CHILE CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Ancho Chile Cream Sauce:.
• Bring 2 cups water to boil in small sauce pan. Remove pan from heat, add Ancho chiles, soak 30 minutes. Reserve 6 Tbsp of liquid, drain rest of liquid.
• Cut stems off of chiles, cut open and scrape out seeds. Combine Ancho chiles, reserve liquid and garlic in blender and puree.
• Combine cream and chile puree in heavy skillet.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer for 3 minutes. Whisk in lime juice, season with salt. Strain sauce (not really necessary).
• Enchilada Filling:.
• Mix 1 3/4 cup sour cream, canned chiles, green onion, cilantro and cumin in large bowl.
• Mix in shredded chicken, mushrooms, 1 cup of cheese, tomatoes, 3 Tbsp of Ancho Chile Cream Sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
• Assembly:.
• Bring remaining Ancho Chile Cream Sauce to a simmer, cook tortillas in sauce for 15 seconds, coating both sides. Place tortilla in baking dish, spoon 1/2 cup of filling down center of tortilla. Roll tortilla closed, arrange seam side down.
• Repeat. May need another small glass dish for all enchiladas.
• Cover with foil and bake 30 - 45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Bake uncovered until cheese melts, approximately 5 minutes.
• Serve with sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo.