Sauce Week - Day 5 - Red Enchilada Sauce

Alright, you may remember I posted enchilada's already (and if you don't then you should be reading the entire blog!) but that was a few months ago AND it was made with more of a traditional Mexican Verde sauce.  This sauce is made with tomatoes, chipotle peppers, and roasted red peppers.  Red sauce.

Sauce week could possibly turn into sauce month with the way things are going!  Maybe I will have a Sauce of the Month Award.
I mean what about homemade biscuits with bacon gravy, tomato vodka sauce n penne, poutine, chicken alfredo?  They all deserve to be included don't they?
So let's hear your ideas?  What do YOU want to see on here?  I would love to hear your thoughts?  Comment away! VOTE!

But back to the red sauce.  Chipotle peppers are actually jalapeno peppers which have been left on the plant until they turn red and then smoked.  Want to know how I know this?  Because I grew them in my garden this year for the first time and had a few that turned red and I thought I had bought a different kind of plant!!  I googled immediately and realized that I didn't do anything wrong...it was normal....and now I can make my very own chipotles - but don't let me fool you I didn't make them, but I could (theoretically).
If you don't make your own, you can buy them in a little can in your local grocery store.

 You will not need the entire can either, they are smokey but still have a bit of a kick (so says Mr. BM and Little Ugh)
So if you prefer red over green try this sauce for your next Mexican night - better than tacos


Enchiladas in Red Sauce

Sauce
1 can tomatoes (whole, diced doesn't matter - they are going to be pureed anyway)
1/4 c. water or tomato juice
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (you might want to only use 1 or 2 if you don't like spice)
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and diced finely
1 roasted red pepper
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder

Roasting peppers - place on a baking sheet in the oven and set to broil.  Watch carefully as they will need to be turned frequently.  Remove once charred on all sides.  Set aside for a few minutes to cool and then remove the outer skin.  You can also do this on an outdoor grill - we just happen to have snow and I don't want to go outside :)

Place all ingredients in a blender (or food processor) and pulse until combined.  Simmer in a pot for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

Pork
Pulled pork works well with this recipe which is easily made using a crock pot during the day.
Using a spice rub of your choice (or salt and pepper if only using the pork for enchiladas) place the meat in the slow cooker, add 1 2L bottle of root beer or any other dark cola, chopped onions & garlic.  Simmer on low for 6-8 hours.
Shred once done.

Once you have your meat choice (pork, chicken, beef, squirrel) add 1/2 c. of the sauce and some shredded cheese.  If you add cooked rice, corn, beans etc. you will want to add more sauce to the mix before stuffing.
I found some corn tortillas but flour works as well.
Layer a small amount of sauce on the bottom of a pan.  Take your tortillas and dip them into the sauce.  Add your meat mixture to the center, roll and place seam side down.  Repeat until the pan is full.  Pour the remainder of sauce over top, add shredded cheese.  Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

*oh I was kidding about the squirrel*