Guest Author - Susan Stewart

All of these sauces freeze very well!

Drunken Sauce - Salsa Borracha

To make about 2 cups:

6 chile anchos, toasted, seeded, and deveined

3/4 cup tequila

3/4 cup fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon finely minced onion

1 tablespoon olive oil or other vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt


Soften the chilies by soaking them in warm water. Drain and puree in a blender or food processor along with the tequila and orange juice. Add the minced onions, oil and salt. Brush on chicken or meat to make a great barbeque sauce.


Tomato-Chile Sauce

This is what we call enchilada sauce in the United States.

To make about 3 cups:

3 chile anchos, toasted, seeded, and deveined

1 large white onion, sliced

1 pound Roma tomatoes

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

salt to taste


On a dry griddle, roast the Roma tomatoes until slightly browned. Chop. Soften the chilies by soaking in warm water. Cook the onions in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes, drain and set aside.

Drain the chilies and puree in a blender or food processor, along with the tomatoes. Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the tomato-chili mixture over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the onions, olive oil, vinegar, cilantro, and salt to taste. Stir well, cooking 1 or 2 minutes more.

For a smoother sauce, let cool and puree again in a blender or food processor.

Cooked Tomatillo Sauce

1 pound tomatillos, husked, or 2 cups canned tomatillos, drained

1 large chile poblano, roasted, peeled, seeded, and deveined

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon minced cilantro

2 tablespoons oil

pinch of sugar

salt to taste

If you are using fresh tomatillos, cook in boiling salted water - along with chilies - for about 10 minutes. Drain. Puree the tomatillos and chilies in a blender along with the onion, garlic, and cilantro.

In a skillet, heat the oil and cook the puree for about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the sugar and salt to taste.