CHILE-TOMATO NOT TOO HOT SAUCE

Chile-Tomato Not Too Hot Sauce image

Not too hot is the point of this sauce. When a recipe tester suggested an optional serrano chile if cooks yearned for more spice, Mark Bittman said nope.

Provided by Mark Bittman

Categories condiments, sauces and gravies

Time 1h

Yield About 2 cups

Number Of Ingredients 8

Ingredients

6 guajillo or ancho chiles
1/4 cup neutral oil
2 large onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, smashed
2 cups canned tomatoes
1 tablespoon honey
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup distilled white or apple cider vinegar

Steps:

Boil 3 cups of water. Put chiles in a large skillet over medium heat and toast, turning once, until fragrant, 2 or 3 minutes on each side. Transfer chiles to a bowl, pour boiling water over them and soak until soft and pliable, 15 to 30 minutes. Remove stems and as many seeds as you like (the fewer you remove, the hotter the sauce will be). Roughly chop them, and reserve soaking liquid.
Put oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add chiles, onions and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, honey, salt and pepper.
Adjust heat so the mixture bubbles gently. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is very thick, 10 to 20 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a blender with the vinegar. Purée until completely smooth, adding more vinegar or a splash of water if you want it thinner. Pour into a glass bottle or jar, cool completely and refrigerate up to a week.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 267, UnsaturatedFat 14 grams, Carbohydrate 30 grams, Fat 16 grams, Fiber 9 grams, Protein 5 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 600 milligrams, Sugar 11 grams, TransFat 0 grams