Your red sauce sounds like a Salsa Ranchero, which is pretty hot, and is also served universally here as a table salsa. Here is a recipe:
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 pounds (about 4 large) fresh ripe tomatoes, roasted
5 serrano chiles, roasted
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (neutral flavor, safflower, canola)
2 rounded tablespoons finely chopped white onion
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste) preferably sea or Kosher salt [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1] [/SIZE][/FONT]
Place garlic, tomatoes and chiles into a blender or food processor and blend to a slightly chunky (not smooth) sauce.
Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan and add the onion and cook until it becomes translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the blended ingredients and cook over high heat till reduced by half. Make sure to keep scraping the bottom of the pan. There will be flecks of charred tomato and chile skin which is the way the sauce should be.
Having given you these recipes, however, you can find very good canned alternatives if your grocery store has a Mexican section (I used to buy these in Portland all the time). The brand you want is HERDEZ, and it comes in small cans. Look for Salsa Verde and Salsa Ranchero.
