Monday, September 14, 2015

PDX Red Chile Sauce

Remember my recipe for red chile, Taos style? It's a sauce, not a bean-pot, for those of you who are not southwest savvy. I learned some tricks from some great Taos cooks in my years there, and the original recipe (Red Chile) is a forever favorite in my house. Moving to a new part of the country always inspires changes in old favorites, and the most recent is the Portland rendition of New Mexican red chile.

This is basically the same recipe, with just three little additions that make it, in my opinion, better than ever, and the official New Favorite.

PDX Red Chile

2 T coconut oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 T mild chile powder
1 tsp hot chile powder
2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 T garlic, chopped
1 tsp sea salt or to taste
1 - 32 ounce carton vegetable broth
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 T maple syrup
1 cup frozen corn
2 T flax seed meal or chia seeds 
2 T arrowroot

Saute the onion in the oil until soft. Add the garlic and spices and cook for 2-3 minutes. Cooking the spices is important!

Add the broth, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, and corn, and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Add the flax meal and arrowroot, but don't worry about blending them in. Pour the whole thing into a blender or food processor that is made for hot liquids (like a Vitamix), and blend until smooth.

Pour the blended sauce back into the pan and let it cook over medium-low heat for a few more minutes. Use as an enchilada sauce, ladle it over "smothered" burritos and tofu scrambles, or use it as a base for a big ol' pot of chili beans.

This was a weirdly easy dinner... I had leftover hummus-and-veggie wraps, which I put in a baking pan, poured on Red Chile, and baked until they were hot. Instant enchiladas! They were surprisingly wonderful thanks to the PDX Red!
Note: If you don't have a Vitamix or other heat-compatible blender (NutriBullet is not good for this!!!), an immersion blender is a good substitute, plus you don't have to transfer hot liquid back and forth. Get one from Amazon for about $30.