One herald of fall’s cooler weather in northern New Mexico is the ristra—the strings of ripe, red chiles that hang outside to dry alongside doorways and against brown adobe walls. Once dried, the chiles are stored to use throughout the winter in sauces like this one. This recipe is a classic New Mexican red chile sauce and the perfect stage for a whole range of Southwestern foods or as a base for other, more complex sauces from barbecue sauce to moles to stews.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 cups

　　1 tablespoon vegetable oil

　　1 white onion, chopped

　　8 Roma tomatoes (about 1 pound), blackened (page 164)

　　8 ounces (about 25) dried New Mexico red chiles, dry-roasted and rehydrated (page 152, soaking water reserved)

　　2 large cloves garlic, roasted and finely chopped (page 158)

　　1 teaspoon toasted and finely ground cumin

　　1/2 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano, toasted and finely ground (page 161)

　　1 teaspoon kosher salt

　　2 tablespoons peanut oil or lard

　　

Step 1

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onion until brown and caramelized, 6 to 8 minutes.

　　

Step 2

In a blender, add the onion, tomatoes, chiles, garlic, cumin, oregano, and salt. If the reserved chile water is not bitter, add 1 cup of it to the blender; otherwise, add 1 cup plain water. Puree to a fine paste; add a little more chile water or plain water if necessary.

　　

Step 3

In large, heavy nonstick skillet, heat the peanut oil over high heat until just smoking. Refry the sauce at a sizzle, stirring constantly, until it coats a wooden spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not allow the sauce to become too thick; add more liquid if necessary.

　　

Step 4

The sauce keeps in the refrigerator for 8 to 10 days; it also freezes well.

　　Tacos by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Copyright © 2009 by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.Mark Miller is the acclaimed chef-founder of Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has started and owned thirteen different restaurants on three continents from 1979 to 2008. He is the author of ten books with nearly 1 million copies in print, including Tacos, The Great Chile Book, The Great Salsa Book, and Coyote Cafe. Mark currently works in International Culinary Consulting and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.Benjamin Hargett is a travel-loving chef who has cooked in Europe, the Carribean, Mexico, and the United States, where he worked with Mark Miller at the Coyote Café for many years.