Ingredients:

1/2 cup Pure Chimayo Red Chile
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 or 3 Tbs. canola or other vegetable oil
1 cup onion, chopped
4 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. cumin seed, toasted and ground
1 tsp. Mexican oregano
3/4 tsp. salt

Spoon Mage™ Note:

If Chimayo is out of your price range, buy red Hatch chiles. Chimayo is costly, but worth it.  Chimayo has a different aroma and flavor than Hatch, but both are quite good. If you find Chimayo somewhere and it is very inexpensive, it has likely been adulterated with other chiles. You can, of course, process your own chiles from pods instead of buying powder to save money. I have never done it and so, I cannot tell you how to do it. The powder I used (lower right) had about 1/4 cup remaining after measuring out for the sauce. I find the powder a great addition to things like chili.

Please do NOT use Mediterranean oregano for this. Use that for Italian foods. Mexican oregano is easily found in the spice aisle at most grocery stores. McCormick makes a fine jar of Mexican Oregano.

This recipe makes about 2 1/4 cups of sauce. I use half  the sauce for four enchiladas. Then I freeze the other half for another day. Label the container so you know what it is. I have Chimayo sauce, pasta sauce, and pizza sauce in the freezer All are labeled as I really don’t want to mix them up!

Directions:

The day before you plan to make the sauce, mix the chile powder and chicken stock in a bowl with a lid. Place the covered bowl in the fridge to soak overnight.

Chop the onion and place in a bowl.

Chop the garlic and place in a small bowl.

Mix the cumin, oregano, and salt in another small container.

Add the oil to a medium sized pot set over medium heat. Let it go until the oil begins to shimmer.

Add the chopped onion and sauté until the onions soften and begin to turn clear. There is no need to brown the onions.

Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute, or until the garlicky aroma changes from raw to cooked.

Add the combined cumin, Mexican oregano, and salt. Stir constantly for one minute.

Pour in the soaked chile  stock.

Bring to a low simmer and let it go uncovered for one hour. Stir every 10 minutes or so. It will thicken a little and turn a beautiful dark red.

Use when making enchiladas or tamales!