Ranchero Sauce Recipe 455

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Cook and stir onion in the bacon grease until onion is transparent, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on a paper towel-lined plate; crumble.
• Stir chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, salt, pepper, and crumbled bacon into onion; bring to a simmer and cook until flavors blend, about 15 minutes.

Steps:

• On a gas range or under a broiler, roast the green, red and poblano peppers until well charred. Let cool. Stem and seed the charred peppers. Coarsely chop and set aside.
• In a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle, finely grind the whole guajillo and pasilla chiles and set aside.
• In a large saucepan, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, covered, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the guajillo and pasilla chiles, cumin, chili powder, oregano, thyme, black pepper, salt and garlic. Stir and cook until the spices become fragrant and are fully coated in oil, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, green chiles and sugar. Stir and continue to cook until the sauce starts to simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the vegetables soften and the flavors come together, 30 to 40 minutes. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as needed.

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add next 6 ingredients and sauté until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add broth and tomato sauce and cook until sauce thickens and reduces to 1 1/2 cups, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Mix in cilantro.

Steps:

• Blacken the peppers under the broiler or top of a gas stove.
• Place in a plastic baggie.
• Toast the cumin in a saucepan until it begins to smoke.
• Add the oil, onions and garlic.
• Sauté for 2 minutes.
• Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the peppers, and simmer over a low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove the skins from the peppers, seed, and coarsely chop them.
• Add them to the saucepan.
• Cook another 5 minutes or so until the sauce thickens slightly.
• Pulse in a blender to desired consistency. Refrigerate for up to a month.
• Serve hot or room temperature.

Steps:

• Combine everything in a large pot or rondeau, and simmer over gentle heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent any scorching on the bottom. Add a little water if it becomes any thicker than ketchup. Allow to cool before puréeing.
• Working in a blender in batches, purée until smooth. Check the salt seasoning. Let cool.
• Transfer to quart or pint containers, and stock your freezer, or put the sauce in something more attractive - rubber-sealed jars with hinged lids? - to make gifts of the stuff. Ranchero sauce keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 1 year. (It may separate a little, in which case you can simply reheat and give a new buzz in a blender to reunify.)