What's your enchilada sauce made of?

[Dina]

I'm getting a bit bored of my sauce and am looking for other suggestions that you all use. I sautee onions and garlic, hydrate the dried ancho, habanero and pasilla peppers, stewed tomatoes with fresh ones, tomato sauce, cumin, salt and pepper. It's all blended in the blender and over the browned ground beef. Cooks for 30 minutes then I add some cornstarch to thicken a bit. Anyone has other suggestions to kick up the sauce? Thanks.

 

[mudbug]

Dina, check out this thread. I like the very first one - it's simple and deelish.

 

[skilletlicker]

Dina, mine is a lot like yours except the liquid is mostly stock instead of tomatoes. I haven't seen dried habaneros. I use four or five anchos and/or pasillas per cup of stock. MexicoKaren posted this recipe not long ago. I find that even after blending guajillo chilles it's a good idea to strain them to remove the cellophane like skin.

 

[PytnPlace]

I guess I must make the "cheaty" version cuz I don't mess with dried peppers if I can help it. Just don't enjoy it. So I use a lot of powdered ancho, guajillo etc and toast it instead. My enchilada sauce has tomato sauce, broth (usually chicken), onion, garlic, jalepeno, ancho, a touch of cayenne or chipolte, coriander, cumin, mexi oregano, S &P, and cilantro all whirled in a blender. If it tastes a bit bitter I add a pinch of brown sugar. Can't think of the Mexican sugar that is in the shape of a cone. Starts with a P(inc????), a touch of that is yummy but I never have that around.

 

[AllenOK]

PytnPlace, it's "piloncillo".

I'd toast the whole, dried chiles, then open them and discard the seeds. After that, rehydrate the peppers.

You can also caramelize some garlic cloves and a few slices of onion in a dry skillet, and add that to the sauce when you puree it.