I am growing several varieties of peppers and tomatoes this summer. So I am constantly trying to figure out what to do with a dozen or two of them at a time! Enchilada sauce has become a lifesaver. This red enchilada sauce is really just an amalgam of everything ripening all at once! It combines red jalapeños, chili peppers, cherry tomatoes, and a large tomato.
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This recipe does simmer for about a half hour and will make your entire house spicy! Esméralda had quite fun watching the smoke. She sat, wide-eyed, curiously bobbing her head up and down for a good couple of minutes wondering what this pungent steam could possibly be! Obviously, don't let cats on the stovetop. Ezy is more curious than actually looking to try and eat it.
This is also something to consider if you have kids or housemates who may not appreciate being bombarded with the smell of peppers for quite some time! It's maybe best reserved for the summertime when all of the windows can be open.
Variations of Red Enchilada Sauce
With all of the peppers that I grew this year, I kept making enchilada sauce all summer long! Whenever I used the last of one enchilada sauce, I just picked whatever was ripe at the time and started a new batch. These are some of my favorites so far.
This red enchilada sauce combines red jalapeños, chili peppers, cherry tomatoes, and a large tomato. I grew most the produce in my garden for an almost entirely homemade meal. But feel free to swap out whatever produce you have on hand! I made this same basic recipe several times throughout the summer with different types of peppers and tomatoes. I grew a lot of hot peppers this year, but you can easily substitute milder peppers for a less spicy version as well.
I used Roasted Garlic in this recipe. You can easily substitute 2 cloves of unroasted garlic. Otherwise, this recipe simply calls for garlic and oil, a garlic roaster or aluminum foil, and takes about an hour.
Place the chilis, tomatoes, onion, and garlic (if you haven't already roasted it) in the air fryer. It can help to cut the tomatoes and onion in half and pierce the chilis with a knife so they don't burst while cooking.Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to break this up into multiple batches. I cooked the peppers and the rest of the fruits and vegetables separately. You can also substitute any other roasting method of choice. An oven or BBQ would do just fine. It's more to get a char flavor than explicitly necessary.
Cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-7 minutes, or until lightly charred. The skin should begin to brown, but not entirely blacken or shrivel. You're trying to roast them, not dry them!
Let cool to the touch.
Blend
Once the fruits and vegetables are cool to the touch, cut off the stems on the peppers, and add the mixture to a food processor.
Add 2 cups of water.
Blend until pureed completely.In my Vitamix or Cuisinart Food Processor this takes about 15-20 seconds. In another blender, this might take a minute or two.Just be careful not to inhale the mixture when you open the lid! It's quite spicy.
Cook
Add the pureed mixture to a large pot with the additional 1 cup water and the salt, pepper, and cumin.You can blend all of the water together when you puree it, but I found that it was easier to add 2/3 of the water then finish thinning it in the pot. None of this will effect cooking, though. Add as more or as little water as you need to puree the ingredients and then add the rest before cooking!
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes, or until thickened to the desired consistency. Make sure to stir occasionally.
Serve immediately or refrigerate. With so many hot peppers, this enchilada sauce will last a good while in the refrigerator.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
The last time that I made a similar enchilada sauce, I used 3 medium-sized tomatoes from my garden. Since I’ve done much better with cherry tomatoes than larger varieties this year, I don’t have that many ripe tomatoes at this moment. So, I decided to pair the peppers with a couple of smaller tomatoes. This will add a slightly different flavor profile, you should get virtually identical results with any tomato that you have on hand. You really only need about 2 cups tomatoes.
If you do air fry the vegetables for too long, don’t fret too much. You’ll still end up boiling the ingredients and they will re-hydrate. You’re pretty much okay with any amount of char as long as you don’t seriously burn them.
You can substitute any kind of pepper of choice. Even dried peppers will re-hydrate with the first simmer. If you don’t have fresh chilis or other peppers and want to use dried ones, just skip the roasting step and go straight to the first cooking stage.
A Vitamix also blends pretty smoothly. If you are using a type of blender that doesn’t liquify, you can strain the mixture to remove any leftover chunks. Generally, more liquid will result in a smoother consistency, but this isn’t guaranteed and can result in a watered down flavor. Although you can potentially add more liquid to blend and then cook longer to simmer down afterwards.
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