Relajo Salvadorean Red Chile Sauce Food

CHICKEN SIMMERED IN RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350º.
• Heat olive oil in frying pan and brown chicken breasts on both sides.
• Remove from pan and place in oven proof baking dish.
• Open dried chiles, remove and discard seeds and stem.
• (Seeds are removed to prevent burning) Cut chiles into pieces.
• Melt butter in frying pan.
• Lightly sauté chiles in butter.
• Add chopped onions and garlic.
• Tear tortillas into pieces and add to pan.
• (The tortillas help to thicken sauce.) Sauté until ingredients are lightly browned.
• Add chicken stock and salt and simmer until ingredients are soft.
• Remove from heat and cool sauce to room temperature.
• Transfer cooled sauce to blender and blend until smooth.
• Pour sauce over chicken breasts.
• Bake at 350º for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is done.
• Remove from oven, top with shredded jack cheese and garnish with sprigs of cilantro.
• Bake a few additional minutes to melt cheese if necessary.

MEXICAN RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place chiles on a baking sheet. Toast lightly in oven, 3 or 4 minutes, until they give off a mild aroma. Do not burn, otherwise, chiles will be very bitter.
• Remove chiles from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Remove and discard stems, seeds, and any pink pithy materials.
• Rinse chiles in cool water, drain briefly, then cover with hot water and soak for an hour.
• Process chiles in blender with enough of the soaking water to obtain a nice, blended consistency.
• Add remaining water, tomato sauce, garlic, oil, salt, oregano, and cumin. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for later use.

BASIC RED SAUCE (SALSA DE CHILE ROJO)

Steps:

• Soak chiles in warm water until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain; strain and reserve liquid. Remove stems and seeds and membranes from the chiles. Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil in a 2-qt. saucepan until onion is tender. Add chiles and 2 cups of the reserved liquid , the tomato sauce, oregano, cumin and salt. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Cool.
• Transfer to blender container; cover and blend on low speed until smooth. Strain. Refrigerate sauce no longer than 10 days.
• Note: I strain mine in a mesh strainer or colander. It takes a few minutes, but keep thinking of how great this is going to taste!

RELAJO (SALVADOREAN RED CHILE SAUCE)

Steps:

• Place the chile ingredients in a medium size pot and cover with water. Bring the chiles and tomatoes to a boil, cover and continue boiling for 20 minutes.
• Next, place the spice mix ingredients in a saute pan and toast on medium high heat stirring constantly. Make sure to keep everything moving so that the sesame seeds do not burn. Keep toasting the mixture for about 3 minutes until the sesame seeds turn golden brown. Remove the mixture from the heat and set aside to cool.
• Once the chiles and tomatoes are cooked, remove from the heat and allow them to cool for about 15 minutes.
• Working in two batches, place the chile ingredients in the blender with a half cup of the cooking liquid for each batch. Blend on high for 2 minutes.
• Pour the blended chile into a large pan and set aside.
• Next, pour the spice mix ingredients in the blender, with 1 cup of water. Blend on high for 5-8 minutes until the sesame seeds are completely blended and the liquid is smooth (may feel a little gritty but will not be chunky at all).
• Next, pour the spice mix into the chile mix and bring the pot to a low boil over medium heat. Once the chile has boiled for 5 minutes add the margarine stirring to incorporate. Once the margarine is melted add the chicken and beef consomme powder and stir to incorporate.
• Continue cooking the chile sauce on medium heat for an additional 10 minutes.
• Note: The sauce prepared above would be for Salvadorean Tamales. Add an additional cup of water, 1/2 tsp of Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 tsp of celery salt when you add the consomme for the sauce that is served over Panes Rellenos. For Sopa de Pata, use the same ingredients for the Panes Rellenos but add another 6 cups of water and double the chile and spice mix recipe.

DIANE'S MEXICAN RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Place chiles on a baking sheet. Toast lightly in a 400° oven for 3 or 4 minutes only or until they give off a mild aroma. If burned, chiles will become very bitter.
• Remove from the oven, let cool to touch, then remove and discard stems, seeds and any pink pithy materials inside the chiles. Rinse in cool water, drain briefly, then cover chiles with hot water, let stand one hour.
• Place chiles in a blender with enough of the water to blend; whirl until smooth, (or scrape pulp from the skin with a table knife, then, put through a wire strainer). Add remaining water, tomato sauce, garlic, oil, salt, oregano, and cumin. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to blend the flavors. Chill up to 1 week, or freeze for longer storage.

CHILE COLORADO (BASIC RED CHILE SAUCE)

Steps:

• Heat shortening in a medium saucepan on medium heat.
• Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
• Add chile powder and cook for an additional minute.
• Gradually add the water and stir, making sure that no lumps form.
• Add seasonings to sauce and simmer at low heat for 10-15 minutes.***.
• * Red Chile recipe above. Varied amounts and variety of chile will determine the degree of hotness.
• ** For a more mild flavor, tomato juice may be substituted.
• *** Last red chile can be very bitter if it doesn't simmer long enough. Please let it simmer for AT LEAST 10 minutes As always, the longer it simmers the hotter it will be -- but you don't want bitter red chile. TRUST ME.
• NOTE: One pound of cooked beef or pork, ground, cubed, or shredded,may be added.
• Also can be served over pork chops or used as a gravy for mashed potatoes.