In San Antonio, Tex-Mex chile sauces always start with with a ancho chile puree. But the best chile sauces always combine at least two types of chiles for a well-rounded flavor. This chile puree is a great base for chili-con-carne and that wonderfully rich enchilada sauce that you can make at home from scratch. Makes about 4 cups.

Chilies needed for making Chile Puree:

• 2 ounces ancho chilies (6-8 depending on size)
• 1 ounce of Guajillo for a reddish puree (2-3) OR
• 1 ounce of Pasilla for a darker sharper tasting (2-3)
• 4-5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1/2 -1 teaspoon of salt (I like sea salt for this)
• 1/2 -1 teaspoon of brown sugar

Steps for making a great Chile Puree base:

I often cut the recipe in half. I use combination of 3 & 1 & 1 chilies for mine. Always remember that chilies should be handled carefully: wear rubber gloves and do not rub your eyes or lips.

Start with roasting the garlic in a Comal, or cast iron skillet for several minutes on high heat the char the peels. Remove from heat and let cool.

Prepare the chilies by stemming and seeding them. Wearing gloves, use kitchen shears to cut the crowns and stems of the chilies off, and slice down the side and open up flat. Cut out the seed membranes over the trash, or sink. I toss the sliced open chilis into the hot pan to wait for the water to boil, as this gives the chilies a few minutes to get nice and aromatic.

Bring 4 cups of water to boil and turn off the heat. Put the chilies in the hot water and submerge them with a small plate or lid smaller than the pot. Let them soak for an hour.

Meanwhile peel the garlic, and drop in a blender and wait. After the hour, pour the water and chilies in the blender and puree until smooth.

Strain the pulp through a sieve. I use my course wire sieve, and use a wooden spoon to push as much pulp through the strainer as I can. Extract as much puree as you can. Stir in the sugar and salt, mix well and you're ready for the next stage.

You are now to a cross point. You can ether save this in the refrigerator until you need it, or use some now and finish it off. This can stay in the refrigerator for like a month. But it never lasts that long in my house, and I often just make half-batches as needed.

You know how in some sauces like French or New Orleans style, you add a little butter to it towards the end of the simmering process to give it the well-rounded "polished" taste? Well in our case we are going to put the sauce in a nice sized sauce pan, and quickly bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce to low and add 1 tablespoon of butter or real lard (better taste for our chile puree). Let simmer for 5 minutes. You now ready to make a great enchilada sauce from scratch.

You can also add this to make a quick simple Spanish rice. (1 3/4 cup water, 1 cup rice, ½ cup chile puree base)