Red Chile Sauce

Ingredients

• 4 oz/116g dried red chilies (California chilies was what I used)
• 1 oz dried ancho chilies
• 1 oz garlic
• 2.5 cups water
• 3 tbsp flour
• 3 tbsp oil (any kind, I like non-extra-virgin olive oil for this)
  
• 1/4 cup vinegar (red wine, apple cider are good choices)
  
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

Preparation

1. Remove stems and seeds from chilies, peel garlic
2. Steam chilies and garlic for 20-30 minutes
3. Split chilies and garlic into three portions and puree each portion, along with 1/2 cup water in a blender
4. Pour each batch of puree through a strainer into a bowl, pushing with a scraper or spoon
5. Return the pulp to the blender along with 1 cup water, puree
6. Pass this last batch through the strainer and then scrape the bottom of the strainer
7. In a saucepan, make a nut-colored roux with the flour and oil (Stir flour and oil over medium-low heat until the mixture is nut brown)
   
8. Remove the roux from the heat, and let it cool for a few minutes, then add the puree to the pan
9. Bring to a simmer (cover it with a screen!) and let it bubble away for 10 minutes or so.
10. Add the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer for another 10 minutes
11. Thin by adding water, thicken by reducing

Notes

• If you do not cool the roux, the sauce will splatter all over your kitchen. It can eject close to 3 or 4 tbsp of sauce! I am not joking. And, what it is flinging is pureed chilies, not something that is super easy to clean up. Wear an apron and DO NOT add the puree to a really hot pan!
• Use a screen over your pot. This is a super easy recipe, but it will fill your mind with bad memories and make you never want to do it again if you don't use a screen and if you add the puree to a hot pot. Epically if you get a drop of hot chile puree in your eye. I thought the time that I scratched the inside of my nose right after chopping fresh chilies was bad, oh my god.
• Steaming garlic and chilies smells so good.