Red Chile — Classic

Ingredients

1. 1Dried red chile pods — enough to fill blender
2. 2Water — to fill blender (approx. 4 to 6 cups)
3. 3Garlic — 3 to 4 cloves
4. 4Salt — ½ to 1 tsp
5. 5Oregano — ¼ to ½ tsp

Prepare the Chile

1. 1Remove stems, seeds, and any molded areas from the chile pods.
2. 2Rinse and clean chile with warm water to remove dirt and soften.
3. 3Add all ingredients in order listed to fill a 1 to 2 qt electric blender — pressing down chile pods to moderately compact them.
4. 4Secure cap on blender and blend on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes until the mixture has a smoothie-like consistency.

Chile is now prepared — ready to use in Posole or to make into a Classic Chile Sauce.

Classic Chile Sauce

Use the prepared red chile above as the base.

1. 1Brown ½ to 1 lb of ground beef in a large (2 to 4 qt) saucepan. While cooking, add salt & pepper to flavor.
2. 2Drain excess fat and blot with paper towel to render lean.
3. 3Add prepared red chile to the cooked ground beef and bring to a simmer with occasional stirring. Allow to cook to blend flavors.

Use as a garnish over beans, eggs, potatoes, etc.