New Mexico Chili Sauce
This tomato-based Southwestern sauce is the ultimate salsa for Black Bean Burritos, a wonderful accompaniment to scrambled eggs or omelets, and the base for the sauce in Chilaquiles.
INGREDIENTS | YIELDS 3 cups
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 5 New Mexico chilies, seeded, soaked, and puréed (see tip below)
- 1 jar (28 ounces) roasted-garlic-flavored marinara sauce
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium flame. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add chili purée; cook 3 minutes more. Add the marinara sauce, cumin, and oregano.
Simmer 10 minutes. Purée in a blender until very smooth.
It's Not Hot, It's Chili
Fruity, smoky, citrusy, woodsy … These are just a few words to describe the flavors of various chilies. Make dried chilies ready for use by toasting them in a 350-degree oven for five minutes, until they soften, become fragrant, and smoke lightly. Then, soak them in enough water to cover for one hour, and purée in a blender with just enough soaking liquid to make a thick purée circulate in the blender vase. For less “heat,” remove the seeds before soaking.
