New Mexico is known for its Green Chile, but let that chile ripen and it will magically transform into a glorious Red Chile. The taste, however, is wildly different. Chile picked when its green tastes grassy, vibrant and fresh. Chile picked after it turns red is earthy, smoky, and warm. Maybe even a little more complex.
*Please note, there are two separate recipes included in this post. One for the Red Chile Sauce/Concentrate. This is the one you can stock your freezer with and use in other dishes. And one for Red Enchilada Sauce. Perfect for, well…enchiladas.
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Red Chile and Green Chile are Vastly Different
While Green Chile is at peak flavor when it’s fresh roasted, Red Chile actually becomes more vibrant when it’s dried. Because of this, green is typically used in a fresher form. It needs very little help to make it palatable and it is easy to add to a myriad of dishes. Its firmer texture holds up to cooking in stews or spooning on burritos.
Red Chile, on the other hand, has been on the plant ripening longer. The fruit is softer at this point, so the texture does not lend itself as well to roasting. Cleaning and peeling fresh roasted Red Chile is challenging and the flavor does not justify the effort. One year, in a flash of “brilliance”, we purchased a bushel of roasted green and a bushel of roasted red. While the green is easy to peel and clean, the red, not so much. The fruit is soft and the skins are almost impossible to remove. Opening them up to clean the seeds away, left little piles of mushy chile behind. Mushy chile that lacked the vibrant punch of the green.
Red Chile Shines when it’s Dried
Though it may not be at its peak fresh out of the roaster, Red Chile gets its superpower when it’s dried. You’ll find that most recipes call for using Red Chile in its powdered form. While dried chile powder can be good, for some dishes, it’s even better when you start with whole dried Red Chile pods. Reconstituting the dried pods wakes up some of the nuanced flavors missing from a powder. Plus you know exactly what’s in it, because you made it.
Reconstituting the pods is easy. Just add them to simmering water and throw in a few aromatics and you’ve got something really special to work with. Keep a few quarts of Red Chile Sauce/Concentrate in the freezer and it can be added to posole, braises and stews. One of our favorite ways to use it, however, is to transform it into a delicious enchilada sauce. We enjoy enchiladas rolled and have never turned up our noses to a big pan of enchilada casserole, but our favorite way to serve them is stacked. We nestle generous layers of seasoned beef, cheese and onions between lightly fried corn tortillas and pile them high. If we’re feeling particularly ravenous, a fried egg on top is never a bad thing.
Red Chile Sauce/Concentrate
Equipment
- Large pot
- Blender
- Containers
- Strainer
Ingredients
- 10 oz dried NM Red Chile (25-30 pods)
- 1 medium onion (quartered)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 qts water
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp kosher salt (we use Morton)
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
Instructions
- When selecting dried chiles, they should be slightly soft and pliable. Chiles that are hard and brittle may be old and may not render as much flavor.
- Using scissors, snip the tops of the chiles off and shake out the seeds.
- Rinse the trimmed and seeded chiles in cool water and place in a large pot. Cover with 1-2 quarts of water. Add garlic cloves, quartered onion and bay leaves to the pot.
- Bring chiles and aromatics to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chiles are soft and plump. About 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Remove the bay leaves and discard.
- If using a large blender such as a Vitamix, place the chiles and aromatics in the blender along with the cumin, salt and oregano. Taste the liquid from the pot. If it does not taste bitter add 2 cups of this liquid to the blender. If it does taste bitter, use two cups of plain water. Blend until completely smooth. Add more liquid if mixture appears to be too thick.
- If using a smaller blender, blend in two batches. Place 1/2 of the chiles and aromatics in the blender along with 1 cup of the liquid from the pot or water. Add 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon of oregano and blend until completely smooth. Add more liquid if mixture appears to be too thick.
- If the chile sauce appears grainy, strain the mixture. Some blenders are able to mix until smooth, others may not be able to blend the chile skins enough to process until smooth.
- Pour mixture into quart-sized containers. Leave a minimum of a 1/4 inch from the top of the container to allow for expansion. Freeze for future use. May be kept in the freezer for up to 3-months.
- Scroll down for instruction on turning this Red Chile Sauce into Enchilada Sauce.
Making Enchilada Sauce
While some recipes use powdered Red Chile to make a Red Enchilada Sauce, reconstituting the whole pods results in a far superior flavor.
Some folks would also stop at the recipe we have outlined for the Sauce/Concentrate and use that as an Enchilada Sauce. That is certainly okay, but it’s easy to take it one step further and turn it into a proper sauce using a roux. The texture is smoother and the addition of some chicken stock and salt ensures that the flavors are on point. I mean, you wouldn’t just dump some beef stock on a pile of mashed potatoes and call it a gravy. No, you would add pan drippings, butter and flour. Maybe a few herbs, a little red wine and keep tweaking it until you had something rich and decadent to ladle on those spuds. The same goes for Enchilada Sauce.
Red Enchilada Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 qt red chile sauce (from above recipe)
- 2 tbsp lard
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- In the bottom of a 10" pan or skillet, melt the lard over medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour and whisk constantly until the flour starts to get a little color on it. About a minute or two.
- Stir in the quart of red chile. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce starts to thicken. About 10 minutes.
- Use the chicken stock to thin the sauce until it reaches the desired consistency. You may not need to use the full 2 cups. Sauce should appear glossy and smooth. Season the sauce with additional salt and pepper.
- The sauce is now ready to use in your favorite preparation of enchiladas whether that's stacking them flat with meat cheese and onion between each layer (pictured), or rolling them up and stuffing them with cheese to finish in the oven, or layering them into a large casserole dish to feed a crowd.
- If stacking the enchiladas like the ones pictured, preheat the oven to 350°.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add about 4 tablespoons of neutral oil to the pan. We used peanut oil. Briefly fry each corn tortilla on both sides in the oil. Drain on paper towels. Add more oil if necessary to keep the bottom of the pan covered. *See note below.
- Once the tortillas have all been fried and drained, gently submerge a tortilla in the prepared enchilada sauce and lay it on an oven safe dinner plate. On top of the tortilla add a sprinkle of chopped onion and a handful of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. You can also add spoonfuls of seasoned ground beef if desired. Repeat with each layer. We generally layer a total of 3 or 4 tortillas per person.
- Once the stack of enchiladas is complete, top with more onion and cheese. Place the plate with the enchiladas in the oven and heat until the cheese on top is completely melted. We usually, try to build two plates and heat both in the oven at the same time.
Notes
- If making stacked enchiladas for two, halve the recipe and reserve the other half of the Red Chile for another use.
- When making enchiladas, it’s important to lightly and quickly fry the corn tortillas in a little bit of oil and drain them on paper towels. The brief frying of the tortilla cooks the exterior and allows them to hold together when you dip them into the enchilada sauce. Otherwise, an unfried corn tortilla may become mushy and fall apart when dipped in the sauce.
Love red, but also want some green? Check out our recent post on Smoked Green Chile Pork!
Stock up on our rubs and sauces at AlbuKirkySeasonings.com and keep up with what we’re cooking on our Facebook and Instagram pages. See you next time!
