Ancho Salsa

Ingredients:

• 2 dried Ancho chiles
• ¼ cup onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 small tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• ¼ cup raisins
• 1 dash dried oregano
• 1 dash cumin
• 2 cups chicken broth

Directions:

Soak Ancho peppers in hot water for 15 minutes. Remove stems and seeds, chop. Sauté chopped chiles and onions in vegetable oil until tender. Add the tomatoes, raisins, cumin, oregano, and chicken broth; simmer 10 minutes longer. Transfer to a blender and blend until sauce is smooth.

Serving Tip: Enjoy this Ancho chile sauce with enchiladas!

Chile de Arbol Salsa

Ingredients:

• ½ ounce (about 16) Chile de Arbol
• 6 large garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1 pound (10 to 12 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• ½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
• sugar, about ½ teaspoon

Directions:

In a dry cast iron skillet, roast the Chile de Arbol for 4 minutes making sure not to burn them. This step is just to release the oils in the chile. Remove the chiles and add the tomatillos. Slice the tomatillos in half and add them to the pan. Reduce heat to medium and add the garlic. Roast tomatillos and garlic until both are soft and charred. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth.

Chile Japones Salsa |  Yields 1¾ cups

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce dried Chile Japones
• 2 tablespoons organic red onions, minced
• 1 jalapeno chile
• 2 medium avocados
• ¼ cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Directions:

In a small bowl, cover Chile Japones with hot water, and let stand 15 minutes. Drain and chop finely. In a medium bowl, combine the onion and jalapeño, Chile Japones and cilantro. Using the back of a spoon, mash the mixture together until a smooth paste forms. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise, remove the pits. Scoop out the flesh and mash the avocados into the onion mixture until smooth. Stir in the tomato, olive oil and lime juice. Serve with chips.

Guajillo Salsa |  Yields 2¼ cups

Ingredients:

• 8 Guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1¾ cups water
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• salt (to taste)

Directions:

Heat a medium, heavy sauté pan or griddle over medium heat until very hot, but not smoking. Add 2 of the chiles and toast, pressing down on them firmly with a spatula, for 10 to 15 seconds, or until golden brown. Turn the chiles and continue to toast, pressing down on them firmly with the spatula, another 10 to 15 seconds, or until fragrant, golden brown and bendable. Remove the toasted chiles to a bowl, and toast the remaining chiles in the same manner. Combine the chiles, garlic, water and lime juice in a blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt to taste.

Serving Tip: This salsa is good on everything from chips to meat to seafood.

Roasted Morita Cream Sauce |  Yields 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 dried Morita chiles
• ½ cup whipping cream
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1½ tablespoon flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Make thick cream by pouring the whipping cream into a small saucepan and cooking it on low heat until it is lukewarm (it must not go above 100°). Remove from heat and stir in the yogurt. Pour into a clear glass jar and cover with a loose cap or clear plastic food wrap. Place in a warm place (80° to 90°), such as the top of the refrigerator. Let the cream develop for 12 to 24 hours. Stir gently and chill for 4 to 8 hours.

Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles and cut into 1-inch pieces. Put the chiles and milk in a food processor or blender and blend on medium setting until smooth. Heat the milk and chile mixture in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat.

In another saucepan, blend the olive oil and flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. After about 3 minutes, begin gently whisking in the heated milk and chile mixture. Continue to cook and stir until smooth and thickened. Whisk in the thick cream.

Serving Tip: Serve warm over potatoes or fresh vegetables.

Mulato Salsa |  Yields 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 4 dried Mulato chiles, soaked in 250ml/9fl oz of boiling water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• pinch cinnamon
• 1 clove
• 1 slice of bread

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small pan on low heat. Fry the seeds, garlic and onion for a few minutes. Remove the stalks from the chiles, and add another 250ml of water to the soaking liquid. In a food processor or blender, blend the chiles and liquid with the onion mix, cinnamon, clove and the bread until smooth. Heat the remaining oil in a medium size pan and warm the sauce, stirring non-stop until thick and glossy.

Serving Tip: Serve with chilaquiles for a delicious brunch!

Nuevo Mexico Salsa |  Yields 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces of New Mexico chiles
• hot water
• 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 cups water, chicken or pork stock
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 ½ tablespoons of flour
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste

Directions:

Heat a heavy skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, remove stems and seeds from chiles while rinsing under cold running water. Place them on griddle and toast, three or four at a time, just until the aroma is released, about 30 to 60 seconds. Be careful not to burn them. Place the chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak until softened, about l0 minutes. Drain chiles and discard liquid.

Place chiles, oregano, 2 garlic cloves, and 2 cups of water or stock in blender and puree until smooth (add more stock if mixture turns too thick for the blender). With a wooden spoon or pusher, work the puree through a colander into a bowl, pushing and scraping to get all the solids. You may want to pour in a little more liquid to help rinse the sauce through the colander.

In heavy medium saucepan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat until rippling. Add remaining garlic clove and brown in the hot vegetable oil, pressing down with the back of a cooking spoon to release the flavor. Remove and discard garlic.

Add flour to hot vegetable oil and cook, stirring constantly, until golden. Add the strained chile puree to the pan and reduce the heat to low. It will splatter as you pour it in — be careful. Cook over low heat, stirring often, until raw taste is gone and flavor of chile is mellowed, about l0 minutes.

Pasilla Salsa |  Yields 1 cup

Ingredients:

• 3 Pasilla chiles
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 small tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
• ¾ cup water
• 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 2 tablespoons small white onions, finely chopped
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt (to taste)

Directions:

Heat oil in a heavy frying pan. Gently sauté chiles without burning; turning frequently until they are just firm to touch (about 5 minutes). Remove chiles with slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain. In same pan, fry tomatillos and garlic until lightly browned and soft inside (about 5 minutes). Remove from pan and drain on paper towels (do not discard oil yet). Peel the garlic when cool enough to touch.

Place water in blender jar. Add the tomatillos and peeled garlic. Crumble the fried Pasilla chiles and add them all, with seeds and veins, to blender. Blend all for about 30 seconds to a puree texture.

Heat oil in frying pan again. Add onion and sauté gently until translucent but not browned for about 1 minute. Add chile mixture from blender and salt. Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently (scraping bottom of pan as needed), until sauce has reduced a little for about 5 minutes. Serve to bowl and enjoy!