Red Enchilada Sauce
I love Mexican food. It’s healthy, fresh and delicious. I decided to try my hand at canning some of the sauces that are used in a variety of different Mexican dishes. One of those sauces is Red Enchilada Sauce. I found this recipe in an American Test Kitchen Magazine (Foolproof Preserving, October 2017) and decided to give it a try. What I especially like is having the sauce on hand for when I want a good red sauce to pour over beef or chicken that is going in the slow cooker for the day. I quickly braise the meat, put it in the slow cooker, cover with red sauce and leave it to cook on low for the day. Once the meat is pull-apart tender, it can be used in a variety of dishes. Check out my recipe for Beef Enchiladas.
Red Enchilada Sauce
Yield 8 - 10 500ml jars
Ingredients
10 pounds tomatoes
8 – 10 dried ancho chilis
1 cup water
2 Tbsp chipotle chili powder
2 Tbsp ground coriander
2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 large onion
10 – 12 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp salt
¾ cup cider vinegar
Directions
Place water in boiling water canner. Heat to a simmer. Place 6 clean, warm 250 ml mason jars on a rack in canner. Cover with simmering water. Place SNAP LIDS® in a bowl full of warm water. Keep both jars and lids warm until ready to use.
Add peeled onion and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until minced. Set aside.
Wash, core and coarsely chop tomatoes. Set aside.
Remove stems from dried ancho chilis. Break chilis into pieces and place in a large non-reactive pot along with seeds, chili powder, coriander and cumin. Toast about 1 minute until spices release their aroma. Stir in water, salt and minced onion and garlic. Cook until ancho chilis and onion are soft, and water has evaporated, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and continue to cook until mixture measures 20 cups. This will take about 15 – 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Blend in a food processor in batches, being careful not to overfill the processor with each batch. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot. Press out as much of the solids as possible to make a thicker sauce. Discard the left over pulp. Add cider vinegar and return sauce to a boil.
Remove jars one at a time from the canner to a covered counter top. Fill jars one at a time, leaving ½ inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Place SNAP LID® and screw band on jar. Tighten until fingertip tight. Place in canner on rack. Repeat until all jars are full.
Add enough hot water to the canner to ensure jars are covered by 1 inch of water. Place lid on canner. Bring to a full rolling boil. Boil 40 minutes (adjusting for altitude). Turn off heat. Remove lid and wait 5 minutes. Remove jars with a jar lifter, without tilting, to a protected counter top.
Cool upright 24 hours. After cool, check that the jars are sealed. Sealed jar lids curve downward. Clean, dry, remove screw bands and label with contents and date.
TIP: Never place hot jars directly on the counter top. Hot glass touching a cool counter top could cause the jar to shatter. Use a tea towel or pieces of newspaper to cover the counter and to place the jars on.
*Altitude adjustment for boiling water method
Altitude in feet Increase processing time by
1001 to 3000 5 minutes
3001 to 6000 10 minutes
6001 to 8000 15 minutes
8001 to 10000 20 minutes
