Chipotle Sauce

This sauce, you guys.

I dream about this sauce.

The perfect balance of smoky, tomato-ey, flavourful goodness.

I must have eaten it at least six times in our last couple of weeks in Mexico, mainly slathered all over my chilaquiles in place of salsa verde.

It doesn’t take that long to make, but it yields a big batch that can be stored in the fridge.

It tastes delicious warmed up in a pan and poured over whatever Mexican dish you want to eat it with, or it could even be eaten cold as a kind of ketchup sauce for dipping.

Mmmmm, dipping.

The key to making the sauce taste so good is roasting the tomatoes beforehand, to remove any acidity in the skins. This can be done in a heavy-bottomed skillet or frying pan, lined with foil.

Using a pair of tongs, you’ll want to keep turning the tomatoes often, until the skins have softened and blackened. Once they have cooled, you will easily be able to peel off the skins and just be left with the soft, juicy flesh underneath.

You can also roast your onion and garlic this way too, before putting it all in a blender or food processor and whizzing it together with your chipotle chillies.

Weird side note: until I started dating an American, I never really knew what a chipotle was. I thought it was just the quirky name of a burrito restaurant chain. That shows how little Mexican influence we have in the UK compared to the US. This makes me sad, mainly because how the hell am I ever going to make this chipotle sauce if I live in the UK again?!

Chipotle Sauce

Recipe by Julia

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

35

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 small white onion, peeled and cut into quarters

• 5 garlic cloves, whole

• 10 medium tomatoes

• 5 chipotle chiles (canned are best)

• 2 tbsp oil

• 1 tsp sea salt

Directions

• Line a skillet or heavy-bottomed pan with foil and place over a medium heat. Place the quartered onions and whole garlic cloves in the skillet and cook until the onion softens and starts to blacken at the edges. Turn occasionally to ensure even cooking.
• Remove the onion and garlic from the skillet and leave to cool. Peel the garlic cloves.
• Using the same skillet (with foil and still over a medium heat), cook the tomatoes, with their skin on, for around 20 minutes, or until the skins have blistered and started to blacken. Turn every couple of minutes using a pair of tongs.
• Transfer cooked tomatoes to a plate or bowl and, once cooled, peel off the skins.
• Put the peeled tomatoes, garlic, onion and chipotle chiles in a blender and blend until a smooth puree has formed. If you aren’t ready to use the sauce yet, at this stage you can simply pour it into an airtight container and refrigerator.
• To heat the sauce: place a large pan over a medium heat and add the oil. Pour in the chipotle sauce and stir in the sea salt. Simmer for around 15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly.