Mexican Red Chili Sauce Recipe

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  We usually have a huge party in the cul de sac, but either we are getting old, or it is just a busy year for all of us.  I am saying the latter;).  I have way too much clutter in the fridge to even considering making something special, but I do want to at least give a nod to the "holiday".  I did make this red chili sauce as my new recipe, and it wasn't too bad.  I didn't like it by itself, but on the "nachos" it was great.  Now the reason I put nachos in quotations marks, is that it was kind of me dumping stuff from Tupperware in the fridge on it so I could use them up and clean out the fridge.  I thought they were better than any nacho I had with the fake cheese, but I am determined to make them again with proper ingredients.  I am a little ashamed to admit what I put on them, but I guess I have to:D.  I spread tortilla chips over a baking sheet, sprinkled the leftover baked beans I had (blush), the rest of the shredded Mozzarella and Cheddar I had, some sliced scallions and some shredded pork roast. (that didn't have any BBQ sauce on it.) I only put the pork on half since I didn't want meat.  Then I drizzled some of the red chile sauce I made and baked it at 375 until the cheese was melted and bubbly. (I think 10 minutes)  Then I had salsa, sour cream and pickled jalapenos for us to add as we liked.  Ok I guess the only really bizarre ingredient was the baked beans, and they weren't as horrible as one might think.


Mexican Red Chili Sauce Recipe
 
3 dried Ancho chiles
Water
1 large clove garlic
2 whole cloves crushed
2 black peppercorns crushed
1/2 Tsp of salt more to taste
Olive oil
Working on one chile at a time, use a paring knife to cut a slit all the
way down one side of a chile. Open up the chile and remove the stem and
seeds. Remove as much of the veins as you can. Reserve a few of the
seeds or veins for adding later if you want added heat. Note when
working with chilies, either wear protective gloves or wash your hands
very thoroughly with soap and warm water after handling the chilies. Do
not touch or rub your eyes if you have been handling chili peppers.
 Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Flatten out the dried chilies as
well as you can and place on the skillet to heat. Press down on the
opened chilies and leave for a few seconds. Turn the chilies over and
heat a few seconds more. You do not want to toast or burn the chilies,
just heat them enough to draw out more of the flavor.
3 Add the chilies to a small saucepan and add enough water so that they
are just covered. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let sit for 10
minutes, until the chilies have softened and plumped up. (OR pour place
the chilies in a small saucepan and pour boiling water over them to
cover. Let sit for 15 minutes, until softened.)
4 Reserving the soaking water, remove the chilies from the pan and place
in a blender. Add the garlic, salt, ground pepper, ground cloves, and 1
1/2 cups of the soaking liquid (taste the soaking water first, if it
seems bitter, use water instead). Pure for 2 minutes, until the sauce is
completely smooth. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning. If you want
more heat, add in a few of the seeds or veins and pure some more. Add
more salt if needed.
5 Pour the sauce through a sieve into a skillet. Add a tablespoon of
olive oil to the sauce. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to maintain
the simmer, cook for 10 minutes. Skim off the foam. Remove from heat.
Use immediately or pour into a glass jar (plastic will get stained) and
refrigerate.
Makes a little more than 1 cup.