(Salsa Roja)
Although red enchilada sauce is readily available in most grocery stores, I prefer to make my own. It doesn’t take that long and the flavor is so much better. You can easily double or triple the batch and freeze any leftovers for subsequent meals.
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon flour
¼ cup chili powder
2 cups chicken broth
Two 5-ounce cans tomato sauce
3 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir, smoothing it out to make a roux, and cook for about 1 minute. Add the chili powder and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add the broth, tomato sauce, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, salt, sugar, and cinnamon and stir to combine.
Increase the heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the flavors deepen, an additional 15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and use in your favorite enchilada recipe, pour over burritos to make them “wet,” or to make tamales. If you’re not using the sauce right away, store it in a glass jar with a tightly fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
VARIATION: To make a vegetarian version, replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth. If you find that this sauce is too spicy for you, reduce the chili powder to your taste.