Yesterday, we went over how to prepare pretty darned fine dried beans without all of that tedious overnight soaking; today, it’s all about the sauce.
Enchilada sauce.
I based this recipe on one from Emeril Lagasse, but switched stuff out to suit my own tastes and spice cabinet. That’s the cool bit about making stuff you could easily buy at the market yourself – you can adjust the ingredients to your liking.
I am not a huge fan of cumin, so I cut waaay back on that and added some seasoning blends from a couple of local spice merchants that I thought would be nice. You could also, if you were wanting a vegetarian enchilada sauce, sub veggie stock for the chicken stock.
INGREDIENTS
Roux:
•3 tbsp veggie oil
•1 tbsp flour
•1 tsp Cajun Seasoning
•3 tbsp Sunny Oaxaca Seasoning
•1 tsp Caribbean Calypso Seasoning
•1 tsp garlic powder
Sauce:
•2 cups chicken stock
•12 oz tomato paste
•1 tbsp Sherry Peppers Sauce (or hot sauce)
•1 tsp Aleppo pepper
•1 tsp dried oregano
•1 tsp cumin
•1 tsp sugar
•1/2 tsp sea salt
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the flour and cook for one minute, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
Add the seasonings and cook for 30 seconds.
Reduce heat to medium, then stir in the chicken stock, tomato paste, Sherry Peppers Sauce, Aleppo pepper, oregano, cumin, sugar and salt.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. The sauce should be thick and smooth.
Adjust the seasonings, if needed.
Note: if you don’t have conveniently located local spice merchants, both Penzeys and The Spice House are happy to ship; or you can substitute stuff from your own spice cabinet or pantry. Try grated fresh orange, lemon, and/or lime zest in place of the Caribbean Calypso, and plain ole chili powder and/or taco seasoning instead of the Sunny Oaxaca and Cajun seasonings.
Emeril did not call for any sugar in his enchilada sauce, but I’ve found that adding just a little bit can tame the wild edges and bring all the different flavors together. You could always substitute a bit of honey or maple syrup if you have concerns about sugar.
Coming tomorrow: chicken enchilada and black bean chili!