Mexican Red Chili Sauce Recipe

Working on one chile at a time, use a paring knife to cut a slit all the way down one side of a chile. Open up the chile and remove the stem and seeds. Remove as much of the veins as you can.

Reserve a few of the seeds or veins for adding later, if looking for more heat.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Flatten out the dried chilies and place on the skillet to heat. Press down on the opened chilies and leave for a few seconds. Turn the chilies over and heat a few seconds more.

Add the chilies to a small saucepan and add enough water so that they are just covered. Bring to a boil.

Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes, until the chilies have softened and plumped up.

Reserving the soaking water, remove the chilies from the pan and place in a blender. Add the garlic, salt, crushed peppercorns, ground cloves, and 1½ cups of the soaking liquid.

Purée for 2 minutes, until the sauce is completely smooth. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning. If more heat is desired, add in a few of the seeds or veins and purée some more. Add more salt, if needed.

Pour the sauce through a sieve into a skillet. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the sauce.

Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to maintain the simmer, then cook for 10 minutes. Skim off the foam. Remove from heat.

Use immediately or pour into a glass jar, then refrigerate.

Serve over meals, and enjoy!