True Authentic Enchilada Sauce

True, authentic enchilada sauce is what’s for dinner tonight! You will not find flour, ground spices, tomato paste or anything other than the most simple, garden-basic ingredients in this recipe.

I did the ancestry test, and it turns out I am white on white on white.  There is nothing interesting in my DNA whatsoever—Western European is all that I am. That said, I’m not bringing you this recipe as an Authentic Mexican.  But, I received this information from one who is!

Claudia Vianey is my sweet friend who was born and raised in Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico.  A Texan Marine found his way to that side of the border, met a bonita señiorita and the rest is history! Stories like theirs amaze me.  He did not speak Spanish, and she didn’t know a bit of English.  Love found a way in spite of that, and I’m so glad it did! He saw the light and made the switch to the Navy the same time my husband joined, so they were at ODS together. From the beginning of our Navy careers, we’ve had the privilege of being together at every single duty station (until now—they are in Italy while we are in San Diego). They have become some of our dearest compadrés.  Every time, they moved a few months before us, and our first reunion at the new duty station always happened around a table full of Claudia’s famous enchiladas.

What makes them “authentic?”

I had never made enchiladas for my family, so all my kids know of them are Claudia’s authentic enchiladas.  Which are VERY different from every other enchilada I’ve ever had.  First off, they aren’t even baked! She stands at the stove, dips a corn tortilla in this sauce, fries them a bit, then loads them up with enchilada-sauced chicken, lettuce, queso fresco and her homemade red and green sauces.  I’m telling you, you’ve never had an enchilada if you haven’t had one this way! It is a perfectly healthy meal that leaves you satisfied, not feeling gross like you do after the greasy imposters we’ve been sold! 

It starts with THE SAUCE.  I see “authentic enchilada sauce” recipes that call for flour, ground spices, etc… that is not what you’ll find here, my friends! We are talking FROM SCRATCH today. Are you familiar with the Mexican aisle at your grocery store? They have all kinds of goodies there, including the most flavorful dried oregano! But that’s not what we’re talking about. The big bags of dried chiles are our star today! Specifically, Guajillo Chiles.  (Gwah-HEE-yoe)

How do you turn dried chilis into truly authentic enchilada sauce?

1. Pluck off the stems and dump all the seeds out of 8 Guajillo and 2 Ancho chilis.
2. Break up into smaller chunks and dry sauté in a pan on medium-low heat for about 2 minutes.
3. Once you can smell them, add in 2 cups of water or broth, bring to a boil, add 2-7 garlic cloves (depending on your preference), then simmer for about half an hour.
4. Pour chiles and liquid into a blender with 1/2 an onion, a hefty pinch of salt, and 2 TBS of vinegar. Blend until smooth and the consistency of the enchilada sauce you’re familiar with. Add more water if it seems necessary. It should coat the back of a spoon.

That’s all! It’s so simple.  It requires you to think ahead just a bit, but you could easily prepare this a few days in advance, and I’m sure the flavors would only meld more beautifully. 

Tonight, we are diverging from Claudia’s classic enchiladas that we love, because we have leftover sourdough tortillas that need to be eaten.  But if you have corn tortillas on hand, follow Claudia’s lead and boil yourself 3 chicken breasts in salt water, then shred them.  Sauté the chicken with a little olive oil and enchilada sauce, then load up your sauced tortillas with the chicken and all your favorite toppings! 

Let me know if you try them by leaving a comment or tagging me @ournomadichomestead! And pray Claudia comes back to me so I can share the master in action with you all! 

MAKE TRUE AUTHENTIC ENCHILADA SAUCE!