Carlos & Charlie's Enchilada Sauce

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WhateverYouWant

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Back when I lived in So.Cal. one of our favorite night spots was a Mexican restaurant & bar in Hollywood named Carlos & Charlie's. They had great food (although quite non-traditional) and Margaritas. One of my favorites were their enchiladas. These had a darker sauce then the traditional brick red traditional enchilada sauce, that was seriously laced with olive (with sliced black olives in adornment).

I have tried recreating this over the years with varying degrees of success... using olive oil in place of more unflavored oil, and puréed olives in addition to the more traditional enchilada sauce ingredients, but I have never hit this nail squarely on the head. Not sure if this is another traditional thing I was just never aware of, or they just hit it out of the park on their own.

So I thought I'd throw it out here to see if any of you prepare something akin to the above. I Googl'd it and found several copycat recipes for their tasty tuna dip, alas nothing about their enchiladas (sauce).

I have enclosed a color swatch which is my pretty firm recollection of the sauce's color.

CCsauce2.jpg
 
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I thought of this possibility because of the colour. Could there have been chocolate or cocoa in the sauce?
 
Could there have been chocolate or cocoa in the sauce?

Decidedly not. I am not a fan of mole sauces and would have noticed that (unless used in such a small amount it put off no hint of it). It was salty, and savory... less acidic than most enchilada sauces, and definitely tasted of black olive.
 
Maybe the peppers and tomatoes were charred, and the peppers were green.
 
Maybe the peppers were green.

That's a possibility, or even the tomatoes were actually tomatillos. The sauce had a darker color, which could certainly be due to more green (than red) ingredients, as well as the addition of the olive factor of the sauce. Unfortunately, that may involve a whole lot more experimentation.
 
Scott, and if you are experimenting to find it, what about dried ancho chilies, those are pretty dark colored and could soak up a lot of juices, thickening it.
 
For a chile with a truly olive color, try pasillas. Not sure if that is the flavor, but they are definitely the right color. Mixed with some others, like ancho or guajillos, these would result in that very dark color.
 
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I guess it depends which part of Mexico or even Central America the chef comes from, but I've always like a dark enchilada sauce far more than the traditional red sauce or the green sauce that you encounter as is done in New Mexico and Arizona.
The dark sauce was a lot like a chili gravy, and it's base is masa flour and your choice of oil cooked as you would any roux. The ground chilies would be added just as the roux was getting the color of your choosing. Some people add the chilies right from the start but I find that interferes some with determining just when the roux's flour is cooked correctly.
 
Turns out this was more more about the olives than anything else.

Last night I used Kalamata olives instead of black and almost nailed it. I mistakenly cut back on the salt used to brown my onions due to the Kalamatas being quite a bit saltier, and I didn't use quite enough olives for the same reason. Next time I will up the olives by a third and maybe even use some of the brine.

In any event, it was the best, simplest enchilada sauce I have made, and next time it will be perfect.
 
Turns out this was more more about the olives than anything else.

Last night I used Kalamata olives instead of black and almost nailed it. I mistakenly cut back on the salt used to brown my onions due to the Kalamatas being quite a bit saltier, and I didn't use quite enough olives for the same reason. Next time I will up the olives by a third and maybe even use some of the brine.

In any event, it was the best, simplest enchilada sauce I have made, and next time it will be perfect.

Can you post the recipe when you nail it?

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Can you post the recipe when you nail it?

Happy to… but it will be a while as I have quite a few enchiladas to go through at this point. But for now, here is what I plan to do next:

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Half onion sliced thin
2-4 cloves garlic halved
1 tablespoon ground chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1.5 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
6 Kalamata olives (I use Mezzetta brand)
Splash of olive brine
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1.) Cook onions in hot oil with salt until lightly browned (get some good color on them)
2.) Add garlic and continue to cook a 2-3 minutes.
3.) Add spices and tomato paste and cook a couple more minutes.
4.) Add stock and white wine vinegar and bring to a boil.
5.) Cool a bit, then add olives and blend.

I have ordered some Pasilla Anchos to replace the chili powder. I will toast them and blend with the hot chicken stock, and then strain for step 4.

Only thing I am unsure of is how much to use to replace a tablespoon of chili powder. Any suggestions?
 
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Those ingredients will make a very nice enchilada sauce. Thanks. There is a site called Pendery's that sells more kinds of peppers than I have found elsewhere. A few peppers that may interest you for this sauce:
  • Chile Pod-Aji Panca
  • Chile Pod-Cascabel
  • Chile Pod-Japones
  • Chile Pod-Pasilla Negro
  • Chile Pod-Serrano-Smoked
  • Chile Pepper-7 Pod Douglah Ground

Seeeeya;Chief Longwind of the North
 
Ok… third try really nailed it. Love this stuff (makes two cups):

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
half onion sliced thin
2-4 cloves garlic halved
36 grams dried ancho chiles
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1.5 cups broth (beef or chicken; I use Better Than Boullion)
6 Kalamata olives (you can use black, but Mezzetta Kalamata are best)
Splash of olive brine
Fresh lime juice

Remove stems and seeds from chiles and toast until fragrant, add to hot broth and set aside.

Cook onions in oil with salt until medium browned, then add garlic and continue to cook another 2-3 minutes.

Add spices and tomato paste and cook a couple more minutes.

Add stock, onion mixture, olives, and brine to blender and blend thoroughly.

Stir in fresh lime juice to taste.
 
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