Red Enchilada Sauce
By America's Test KitchenPublished on July 11, 2020
Time
1¼ hours, plus 2 hours cooling
Yield
Makes four 1-pint jars
Ingredients
5 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and torn into ½-inch pieces, seeds reserved (1¼ cups)1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder 2½ teaspoons ground coriander 2½ teaspoons ground cumin ½ cup water 1 onion, chopped6 garlic cloves, minced1 tablespoon salt 5 pounds tomatoes, cored and chopped coarse6 tablespoons cider vinegar
Before You Begin
Five tablespoons of ancho chile powder can be used in place of the whole dried chiles.
Instructions
- Set canning rack in large pot, place four 1-pint jars in rack, and add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then turn off heat and cover to keep hot.
- Toast anchos with reserved seeds, chile powder, coriander, and cumin in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in water, onion, garlic, and salt and cook until onions and anchos are softened and water has evaporated, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and bring to simmer. Cook, stirring often, until mixture measures 10 cups, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Working in batches, process mixture in blender until very smooth, about 1 minute. Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer into clean pot, firmly pressing solids with ladle to extract as much juice as possible; discard solids. Return sauce to brief boil over medium-high heat, then remove from heat.
- Place dish towel flat on counter. Using jar lifter, remove jars from pot, draining water back into pot. Place jars upside down on towel and let dry for 1 minute. Add 1½ tablespoons vinegar to each hot jar. Using funnel and ladle, portion sauce into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Slide wooden skewer along inside of jar to remove air bubbles.
- For short-term storage: Let sauce cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 months. Before using, simmer sauce to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes.) For long-term storage: While jars are hot, wipe rims clean, add lids, and screw on rings until fingertip-tight; do not overtighten. Return pot of water with canning rack to boil. Lower jars into water, cover, bring water back to boil, then start timer. Cooking time will depend on your altitude: Boil 40 minutes for up to 1,000 feet, 45 minutes for 1,001 to 3,000 feet, 50 minutes for 3,001 to 6,000 feet, or 55 minutes for 6,001 to 8,000 feet. Turn off heat and let jars sit in pot for 5 minutes. Remove jars from pot and let cool for 24 hours. Remove rings, check seal, and clean rims. (Sealed jars can be stored for up to 1 year. Before using, simmer sauce to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes.)
Time
1¼ hours, plus 2 hours coolingYield
Makes four 1-pint jarsIngredients
5 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and torn into ½-inch pieces, seeds reserved (1¼ cups)
1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder
2½ teaspoons ground coriander
2½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ cup water
1 onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon salt
5 pounds tomatoes, cored and chopped coarse
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
Ingredients
5 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and torn into ½-inch pieces, seeds reserved (1¼ cups)
1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder
2½ teaspoons ground coriander
2½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ cup water
1 onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon salt
5 pounds tomatoes, cored and chopped coarse
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
Ingredients
5 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and torn into ½-inch pieces, seeds reserved (1¼ cups)
1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder
2½ teaspoons ground coriander
2½ teaspoons ground cumin
½ cup water
1 onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon salt
5 pounds tomatoes, cored and chopped coarse
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
Why This Recipe Works
In pursuit of the perfect red enchilada sauce, made with height-of-the-season tomatoes, we surveyed existing recipes. Knowing that we wanted to process our sauce, we needed to avoid using oil for safety reasons. We swapped out the usual chile powder for fruity-tasting dried ancho chiles and smoky chipotle chile powder. Blooming the dried chiles along with the spices softened them, and their complex flavors infused our sauce. To safely can our sauce, we needed to acidify it, but we found that lemon or lime juice distracted from the deep chile notes. Instead, we turned to the clean, bright flavor of cider vinegar, which rounded out and enlivened our rich enchilada sauce.
Before You Begin
Five tablespoons of ancho chile powder can be used in place of the whole dried chiles.
Instructions
- Set canning rack in large pot, place four 1-pint jars in rack, and add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then turn off heat and cover to keep hot.
- Toast anchos with reserved seeds, chile powder, coriander, and cumin in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in water, onion, garlic, and salt and cook until onions and anchos are softened and water has evaporated, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and bring to simmer. Cook, stirring often, until mixture measures 10 cups, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Working in batches, process mixture in blender until very smooth, about 1 minute. Strain sauce through fine-mesh strainer into clean pot, firmly pressing solids with ladle to extract as much juice as possible; discard solids. Return sauce to brief boil over medium-high heat, then remove from heat.
- Place dish towel flat on counter. Using jar lifter, remove jars from pot, draining water back into pot. Place jars upside down on towel and let dry for 1 minute. Add 1½ tablespoons vinegar to each hot jar. Using funnel and ladle, portion sauce into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Slide wooden skewer along inside of jar to remove air bubbles.
- For short-term storage: Let sauce cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 months. Before using, simmer sauce to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes.) For long-term storage: While jars are hot, wipe rims clean, add lids, and screw on rings until fingertip-tight; do not overtighten. Return pot of water with canning rack to boil. Lower jars into water, cover, bring water back to boil, then start timer. Cooking time will depend on your altitude: Boil 40 minutes for up to 1,000 feet, 45 minutes for 1,001 to 3,000 feet, 50 minutes for 3,001 to 6,000 feet, or 55 minutes for 6,001 to 8,000 feet. Turn off heat and let jars sit in pot for 5 minutes. Remove jars from pot and let cool for 24 hours. Remove rings, check seal, and clean rims. (Sealed jars can be stored for up to 1 year. Before using, simmer sauce to thicken slightly, about 10 minutes.)
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