A nice twist on the traditional New Mexico red chile sauce.
"*" See Kitchen Notes for more information or links to special ingredients.
The Number of Chile Pods – This is one’s personal preference for the amount of heat you want. I use 8 – 10 hot chile pods for about 2 pounds of pumpkin and get a nice spicy hot sauce. If you want a mild sauce made with hot chile, then decrease the number of chile pods to 5 to 6. If you aren’t sure as to how much chile you need, then remove all but two of the chile pods after cooking. Purée the pumpkin, the 2 chile pods, and other ingredients. Taste. If you want it hotter, blend in more chile, one pod at a time until you get the heat level you want.
Also, if you can find medium dried chile, then you probably won't have to worry about the sauce being too hot.
Amount of Pumpkin – A 4.5 pound pumpkin, once peeled, seeded, and chopped, yields a heaping 4 cups of pumpkin. More pumpkin can always be added to make a milder and large batch of sauce. Just adjust the seasoning accordingly.
Blending - Blending to a purée may take about three batches. A double blend makes an even smoother consistency. After the first blend, let sit for 10 minutes then blend again.
Storing The Sauce – These 6 cups yielded enough sauce for four single servings of red chile enchiladas and enough sauce to freeze for two more meals. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. After that, divide into containers and freeze.
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen