I always figured it would be difficult to make a good red sauce for enchiladas.
I was so very wrong.
I looked it up recently to find out how to make it, and discovered that I had almost everything in my pantry. In fact, I could have made the sauce without a trip to the store if I wanted a basic version. I did need corn tortillas to make the enchiladas, so I had to make the trip anyway, so I picked up some good chicken stock for it.
Otherwise, this is just a slightly modified version of the recipe on gimmesomeoven.com.
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Grape Seed, Olive, or Avocado Oil
2 Tablespoons flour
1/4 Cup Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Cocoa Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
2 Cups Chicken Stock
1/4 - 1/2 Teaspoon salt
Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Add in the chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, cocoa powder, and oregano and cook for 1 more minute, whisking constantly. Gradually pour in the stock, whisking constantly to combine until no lumps remain. Continue cooking until the sauce reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain the simmer (the sauce should continue lightly bubbling) for about 10-15 minutes, uncovered, until the sauce has slightly thickened. Give the sauce a taste and season with salt, as needed. (I typically add 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, but the saltiness of the sauce can vary depending on the brand of stock that you use.) Use immediately.
Note: You can mix together the dry ingredients and store them for up to several months in a Ziploc bag or another airtight container for later use, then just fix it more or less as above.