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tpool

Aug 28, 2010, 7:55 PM

Post #1 of 16 (10150 views)

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Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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I am originally from Midland TX, and I really miss the west Texas Tex Mex flavor.
I can't seem to find the west Texas flavor in the DFW area.
Of particular interests is the red enchilada sauce used on cheese enchiladas.
** If anyone is familiar with restaurants in Midland TX (Tampico, Jorges, Casita Gerardos, Ajuuas)....does anyone have a red enchilada sauce recipe that is similar to what these restraunts serve?
I'm not looking for a "meat" sauce. I'm looking for the red sauce....I'm not sure how to desribe it....brown in color, with a smooth, smokey flavor.
Years ago, Tampico told me they cook/strain peppers, but I don't know what kind of peppers they use, or their recipe.
Thank you :)

Rolly

Aug 28, 2010, 8:52 PM

Post #2 of 16 (10141 views)

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Re: [tpool] Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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Here is a basic red sauce Chile Colorado Salsa with step-by-step picture instructions.

Rolly Pirate

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Peter

Aug 29, 2010, 6:46 AM

Post #3 of 16 (10116 views)

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Re: [tpool] Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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Guajillo chiles are the ones used for red enchilada sauce.

You would want to keep the chiles as much intact as possible but remove the stem and empty out the seeds as much as easily possible. Cook the chiles in hot water long enough to soften the insides then open them up and use a large spoon or dull knife to scrape the skins clean then discard them. To the red scrapings you may want to add a little fresh oregano, a dash of vinegar, and some salt. Blend those together and add a little water then cook the sauce a little longer to get the thickness desired.

Some cooks here will blend the skins with it but for me it takes away from the flavor so I would rather remove them, but the lesson is that if a little of the skin breaks off into the scrapings it causes no harm. Options may be to cook the sauce with onion, garlic, and/or a little tomato to adjust the flavor to your preferrence.

There are varying methods for preparing enchiladas. My method, which is seldom practiced here locally, is to stuff and roll tortillas then fry them lightly in a skillet before cooking them in the sauce. At some point the tortillas should be fried a bit or the sauce will make them mushy.

The cooks here usually fry them after dipping the tortilla in the sauce and then roll them and add whatever, like diced carrot and potato, then serve. I find that method to be messy and have a lot of splatter to clean up. I prefer to stuff mine with only diced onion and a little cheese, then I will fry them and add the rolled and stuffed tortillas to the sauce and cook them a bit longer until once again soft - the frying makes them hard - or put into a cassarole, cover with sauce, then top with cheese and bake. There really are no rules, just whatever suits your tastes best.

(This post was edited by Peter on Aug 29, 2010, 8:02 PM)

mazbook1

Aug 29, 2010, 7:11 PM

Post #4 of 16 (10083 views)

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Re: [Peter] Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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I'm with Peter on the guajillo chiles. They come the closest to having that Tex-Mex or New Mexico red chile flavor. I use them also for making my carne adobado (New Mexico style marinated pork), and with a few added chiles de arbol, it tastes just like that made with New Mexico red chiles.

Here is a typical New Mexico recipe for red chile enchilada sauce, New Mexico style.

14 to 16 guajillo chile pods-depending on size-I use 16 (seeded and deveined)
1 tsp. salt
1 clove garlic
1/4 tsp. crushed, dried oregano leaves
2 1/2 cups cold water.

Rinse out the chile pods. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend to a very smooth consistency. Pour into another container, add another 1/2 cup of water to the blender container and blend at high speed, then add to the original and mix.

Place 1/4 cup of oil in a saucepan, heat and add 3 Tblsp. flour. Stir and brown slightly. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then add the uncooked sauce from above. On medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil while stirring. Simmer about 3-5 minutes until the flour is cooked, and voila! A typical New Mexico red chile enchilada sauce. The sauce should be about the consistency of brown gravy, so you can add water and bring back to a boil if it is too thick.

Personally, I like to use a little more chile and no flour, although I have been known to drizzle in a little runny flour paste if I goof and the sauce comes out much too thin, rather than waiting for it to boil down to the proper consistency. This is purely a personal preference.

Enjoy!

(This post was edited by mazbook1 on Aug 31, 2010, 9:33 PM)

Anonimo

Aug 31, 2010, 8:46 AM

Post #5 of 16 (10033 views)

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Re: [mazbook1] Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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Interesting. I'd recently been re-reading The Taste of Santa Fe, by Huntley Dent.

Back in the '70s, I made carne adobada often. Oddly, I haven't made it since we moved to Mexico 5 years ago.

Saludos,
Anonimo

Bennie García

Sep 15, 2010, 8:47 PM

Post #6 of 16 (9805 views)

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Re: [Anonimo] Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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My wife makes an orange enchilada salsa but I recommend it only for the folks that truly like it hot.

Roast 20 habanero chiles, remove seeds and stems, puree in blender with 1 cup bitter orange juice, 1 teaspoon piloncillo and 1/2 cup pineapple vinegar. Salt to taste. Soften the tortillas in hot oil, dredge in salsa, fill with mashed black beans and roll into shape. Top with crema, queso seco, freshly shredded cabbage and cebollas desflemadas.

Peter

Sep 15, 2010, 9:31 PM

Post #7 of 16 (9802 views)

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Re: [Bennie García] Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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Whew. Some like it hot.

Bitter orange juice and pineapple vinegar easy to come by in your neck of the woods, are they?

Bennie García

Sep 16, 2010, 5:47 AM

Post #8 of 16 (9789 views)

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Re: [Peter] Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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Yes they are. Naranja agria trees are all over and the vinegar is homemade. You can skip the vinegar and just add a little sarcasm if you prefer.

Peter

Sep 16, 2010, 6:31 AM

Post #9 of 16 (9782 views)

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Re: [Bennie García] Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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Maybe I did come off a little sarcastic sounding, though it was not my intention. The pineapple vinegar I was thinking may have to be homemade. The bitter orange I have heard people mention having them but I don't know if I would recognize them or what they would be used for. The flavor in Earl Grey tea is bergamot which I understand is a type of bitter orange, you wouldn't know if they were the same or similar?

Your recipe sounds good and I thank you for posting it. Obviously a dish with habanero would chiles pack a whallop, which is OK by me, I like it hot. A year or so back I stopped in a little cocina economica had a molcajete sitting on the table with a salsa they were cautioning people about using, it was made from habaneros. I saw a couple of the locals slop it on their meal like any other salsa, not knowing its content, but then not being able to finish their meal. Everone there was surprised this gringo was eating every bite without breaking a sweat. It was all I could do to eat my meal, smile and pass around the usual courtesies, and try to pretend I wasn't burning up. Very memorable meal. ¡Viva México!

esperanza

Sep 16, 2010, 7:20 AM

Post #10 of 16 (9779 views)

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Re: [Peter] Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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Peter, many of Morelia's downtown street trees--and most in Guadalajara--are bitter oranges. You can walk outside and pick some for your salsa. Look around, you'll be surprised.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Peter

Sep 16, 2010, 8:39 AM

Post #11 of 16 (9767 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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That's what Tere was just telling me, they are out of season and almost all are bitter right now. Are these the bergamot orange? The description seems to match. Besides the distinctive flavor in Earl Grey tea bergamot oil is supposedly used in about half of women's perfumes and about a third of men's scents.

Anonimo

Sep 17, 2010, 2:03 AM

Post #12 of 16 (9741 views)

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Re: [Peter] Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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Back in March, 2010, I found large bottles of homemade pineapple vinegar, sold by an elderly woman, in Morelia's Mercado Niño Santo. It was 10 pesos per bottle. (I need to get back there; for the vinegar and for some queso añejo Cotija.)

I've also made it myself from my leftover tepache. I recently used that to good effect in a batch of Bread 'n Butter Pickles, when I ran out of Vinaigre de Manzana.

Anonimo

esperanza

Sep 17, 2010, 7:31 AM

Post #13 of 16 (9730 views)

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Re: [Peter] Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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In Reply To

The bergamot orange is a variety of bitter orange.

Remember that Sr. Google is your friend.

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Peter

Sep 17, 2010, 7:55 AM

Post #14 of 16 (9721 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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The bergamot orange is a variety of bitter orange.

Thanks, that much I knew. Wasn't sure if it was what we had here. Señor Wiki gave me some photos of the bergamot that look like ones I see here but I guess I wouldn't know a bitter orange from a sweet one until I bit into it, if even then.

Well, we have a recipe in this thread that uses them. I can take the heat but I don't think Tere would touch it. I don't think there is a mild habanero.

esperanza

Sep 17, 2010, 9:38 AM

Post #15 of 16 (9704 views)

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Re: [Peter] Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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You might try chile manzano (aka chile perón) instead of the habanero. The perón is a bit milder--although not much--and has a lovely fruity flavor that IMHO would blend well with the bitter orange.

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Peter

Sep 17, 2010, 9:48 AM

Post #16 of 16 (9703 views)

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Re: [esperanza] Red Enchilada Sauce Recipe

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Thanks, good suggestion. The chile perón is a favorite and usually have some on hand. There are just a couple of items that I really like to use habaneros for their flavor, but not many.