Holly's Ristra Chile Sauce
(Excerpted from “The Fort Restaurant Cookbook”)
This recipe comes from the cookbook of Holly Arnold Kinney, former proprietress of The Fort, whose culinary vision helped shape the restaurant’s menu for decades. This is one of her favorite recipes, and when she prepares it, she often leaves a few seeds in the pods to achieve a medium heat. Chiles can be full of surprises; those that look mild can be fiery, while others that appear hot may turn out to be quite tame. Ultimately, the number of seeds left in the pods helps determine the heat level of the finished chile sauce.
Makes 3 ½–4 cups
Ingredients:
¼ c. olive oil
¼ c. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. dried Mexican oregano, divided
3 c. chicken broth
6 dried red New Mexican chile pods
1 c. boiling water
6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
½ tsp. salt, plus more to taste
Directions:
1. Place olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and 1 tablespoon of Mexican oregano. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the flour turns golden brown. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth. Continue to cook, stirring, for about 1 minute, until the sauce begins to thicken. Set sauce aside while preparing the chiles.
2. Wearing rubber gloves, rinse the chile pods under lukewarm water. Break off the stems, open the pods, and wash the inside of the chiles. Inside each pod is an oil sack that is connected to the seeds. This membrane and the seeds containthe heat.
3. In a blender, combine the chiles, boiling water, garlic, remaining tablespoon of oregano, and ½ teaspoon salt. Put the lid on and purée.
4. Press the purée through a coarse strainer into the chicken broth–based sauce and stir until well combined. Simmer the sauce, stirring often, for 20 to 30 minutes, adding water to thin it if necessary. Add salt to taste.
Variation: You could use fresh red chile powder in place of the peppers by adding 1 teaspoon of fresh chile powder for every pepper. Do not use commercially made chile powder advertised for use in Texas bean chili. Only use pure ground chile powder.