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What do enchiladas, chilaquiles, and huevos rancheros all have in common (other than being delicious classic Mexican cuisine)? Sauce. That's what. Rich, deeply complex, super flavorful sauce. And while it is totally possible to find decent pre-made Mexican sauces, I like making big batches of my own so that I can control the spice level and flavor profile and play with different kinds of chiles.
One shortcut I do take, however, is using my Taco Spice Blend for seasoning. After years of trying out different amounts of cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne, and oregano, in my Ranchero Sauce recipe, I realized that the proportions I was looking for were already there... in my Taco Spice Blend. Plus, the small amount of cornstarch in the Taco Spice Blend helps thicken the sauce in the final simmer. Work smarter, not harder!
So, let's get saucy, shall we??
Homemade Salsa Ranchera (Ranchero Sauce)
Makes about one quart
Ingredients:
5 medium tomatoes (such as Roma or Plum)
1 medium yellow or white onion, quartered
4-6 dried New Mexico or California chile peppers, stems and seeds removed
5 garlic cloves
1-2 chipotles in adobo plus 1-2 teaspoons of adobo sauce from the can
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons Taco Spice Blend
Kosher salt
Directions:
Place tomatoes, onion, dried chiles, and garlic in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer 15 minutes. Drain, and transfer solids to a blender. Set the saucepan aside. Add chipotle chiles and their sauce, the chicken broth, and the Taco Spice Blend to the blender. Blend until completely smooth then transfer back to the saucepan. Bring sauce to a boil and then simmer 5-10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt.
Use on your next batch of enchiladas, chilaquiles, chiles rellenos, or huevos rancheros, or cool completely and freeze in smaller batches for later.
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