V-8's Replacement

For years I have wanted my mom to teach me to make enchilada sauce. Unfortunately on the days we’ve planned to make enchiladas, I always seem to get there after the sauce is made! Darn cross-communications!

I took matters into my own hands last week.

I dug out the recipe my mom gave me, swung by the hispanic grocer down the street for the dried chilies I needed and got to work in the kitchen!

Following the recipe and verbal instructions I had committed to memory, I turned out my first batch of enchilada sauce. It was not nearly as difficult as I had always thought. Time consuming, but TOTALLY worth it.

I called my mom to brag about my new skill, practically hopping up and down with excitement!

Is it wrong to want to drink it? Because I do.

You’ll never go canned again.

Enchilada Sauce
7 dried guajillo chilies
1 dried ancho chili
Water
1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon chickpea flour
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Wash chilies thoroughly. Place in a large saucepan and cover generously with water (I used about 5 or so cups). Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand 45 minutes or until softened.

Drain chilies, reserving soaking liquid. Pull off stems, slit chilies open and rinse off seeds. Place chilies and 1-2 cups soaking liquid into a blender and puree. Turn into a sieve and rub through sieve into a bowl to eliminate bits of peel. Rinse blender with an additional 1 cup of soaking liquid and pour over remaining pulp in sieve.

Heat oil and garlic in a medium saucepan over low heat. When the oil is fragrant with garlic, remove the garlic clove. Stir in the flour until the mixture is smooth. Cook about 1 minute. Add pureed chile mixture and remaining ingredients, including the reserved garlic clove. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook until slightly thickened. Before storing, remove garlic clove (I ate mine..)

I used the sauce to make enchiladas filled with black bean, baby portabellas, onion and cumin topped with savory almond butter.

My tortillas disintegrated a bit from moisture so I’m still working on getting that right. Hopefully there will be an enchilada post once I figure that out. Meanwhile, I sure don’t think Kyle’s minding eating the “mistakes”.

I don’t mind either.

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