663347 Thu Oct 29 13:53:59 -0700 2009 26 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 5141086 Is there any decent canned/jarred red enchilada sauce out there? I have not yet undertaken my own taste test or anything, was hoping I might get some guidance here before I resort to that. We have regular chain grocery with large sections of mexican/hispanic foods, plus Whole Foods or Wegman's as options. It's not that I am against making it from scratch, but husband is super-picky so I don't want to bother wasting my time coralling ingredients and trying out different recipes on him if I can buy a canned sauce, doctor it up, and make him happily eat his enchiladas. He doesn't want mole, he doesn't want green sauce, he doesn't want cream sauce. Plain ol' red sauce enchiladas for this (former) Texan. The less fuss the better for me! Surely someone can tip me off to something that will meet with his picky-yet-not-too-discerning taste. Help please!! Thu Oct 29 13:53:59 -0700 2009 199621 cookie44 1 5141171 I have to say that the only canned sauce Ive ever used is Old El Paso. They are passable I suppose. But I did want to tell you about this website in case you havent heard of it. The Homesick Texan. There are some recipes on there you might want to make for him :) Like King Ranch Chicken....sigh. I miss Tejas :) http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/ Thu Oct 29 14:21:53 -0700 2009 5141086 195113 jenwee 2 5141205 Funny you mention it. I was all set to make her Sour Cream enchiladas....but he doesn't really want that, he wants red sauce. We're lucky, things like Ro-Tel abound so he's doesn't miss too much. No good BBQ of course but that we can order online if we want to splurge. Enchiladas, however, we are not ordering online. Thanks!! Thu Oct 29 14:32:41 -0700 2009 5141171 199621 cookie44 1 5141248 West Texan chiming in. If he wants plain old red enchilada sauce, it's hard to beat either Hatch brand for a more mellow & slightly richer taste, Old El Paso for more of a bitter bite, and in my house, a blend of the two. I do two versions of red enchiladas - homemade and store bought sauce. So, if it's store bought, I generally mix my meat with Old El Paso hot, but dip the tortillas in either OEP or Hatch medium. Thu Oct 29 14:47:29 -0700 2009 5141086 20991 shanagain 2 5141363 I'm a fan of Hatch too. The medium enchilada sauce is my go-to for easy chilaquiles for breakfast, and the hot has plenty of heat. http://www.newmexicanconnection.com/catalog/popup_image.php?pID=22&image=0 Thu Oct 29 15:33:04 -0700 2009 5141248 10271 Rubee 3 5150425 Third Hatch -- you can buy it at Whole Foods, if you have trouble finding it other places. I hate the canned sauces that have vinegar in them: there's invariably way too much. While brightness is good in an enchilada sauce, sourness is not. Mon Nov 02 15:52:52 -0800 2009 5141363 17548 BarmyFotheringayPhipps 1 5141564 We use the Herdez or La Palma brand in SoCal. Thu Oct 29 16:59:50 -0700 2009 5141086 90755 Phurstluv 2 5141948 Does Herdez make a red enchilada sauce? I use their salsa verde all the time for green enchiladas, but have never seen a red ench. sauce. Thu Oct 29 20:13:11 -0700 2009 5141564 20991 shanagain 2 5142122 I think it was La Palma (or Las Palmas?) that I used in California. They had a red enchilada sauce and a red chile sauce, and they were almost identical. The ingredients were basically red chiles and water! I thought they worked fine. Thu Oct 29 23:09:37 -0700 2009 5141564 98904 MazDee 2 5142902 Another vote here for the Herdez red Salsa Casera widely available in NYC. Only problem is it can be hard to find in larger size cans. Fri Oct 30 09:06:52 -0700 2009 5141564 42367 ratgirlagogo 3 5143353 That's interesting. I've never seen salsa used as an enchilada sauce. (Texas bias showing.) Fri Oct 30 11:19:00 -0700 2009 5142902 20991 shanagain 4 5143422 Eh? Didn't you say above that you "use their salsa verde all the time for green enchildadas?" Fri Oct 30 11:41:13 -0700 2009 5143353 42367 ratgirlagogo 5 5143708 I assumed you knew what I was speaking of. I'll be extra sure to be more clear the next time. Fri Oct 30 13:35:56 -0700 2009 5143422 20991 shanagain 4 5149413 Herdez makes a wide range of salsas, both canned and jarred. In general the jarred ones tend to be more the fresh chip-dipping type and the canned ones better suited for use in cooking, but their 5-chile jarred sauce is quite smoky (from chilpotles) and excellent for enchiladas. As is the canned Salsa Casera mentioned above. And they're all called salsa, which as you know just means sauce. Mon Nov 02 10:59:33 -0800 2009 5143353 14386 BobB 5 5149598 I don't want to be a jackass, but there is a huge difference between a red enchilada sauce and a salsa, like the diff between a bearnaise and a bechamel type of "big" - for one, there is generally no tomato in a red ench. sauce. (And the casera in the jar is exactly like the canned. I can't speak to the 5 chile, but it also appears to be nothing more than a chipotle-enhanced version of the casera.) I'm not slamming how you might make a red-colored enchilada dish, but in no way, shape or form is it a TexMex red enchilada sauce, which from scratch is just a blend of chile powder, onions & garlic, lard/fat, broth or stock, and cumin/mex.oreg./salt to taste. I may also simply being overly-pedantic in what I consider a red enchilada sauce, but then, that's my prerogative as a Texan. ;) Mon Nov 02 11:53:41 -0800 2009 5149413 20991 shanagain 6 5156928 So, why didn't you just say that, to the OP? <<Here's how you make an easy enchilada sauce, blend chile powder, onions, garlic, lard, broth & spices...>> instead of "being overly pedantic" about how others make/doctor up canned sauces, which was what the OP was looking for..."bother wasting my time coralling ingredients and trying out different recipes on him if I can buy a canned sauce, doctor it up, and make him happily eat his enchiladas." Doesn't sound like you hate to be a jackass at all! LOL!!! Wed Nov 04 19:00:08 -0800 2009 5149598 90755 Phurstluv 7 5156989 Why didn't I say that? Because they specifically asked for brands of canned ready-made canned enchilada sauce. eta: Canned red ench. sauce that would pass muster for a Texan. Wed Nov 04 19:25:38 -0800 2009 5156928 20991 shanagain 2 5153530 Herdez also. The small can of red salsa is the base for my guacamole. Learned it from Mexican women. Tue Nov 03 16:41:22 -0800 2009 5141564 24468 chicgail 1 5141961 I would bet you will find a mercado in your town if you do some searching. It should have what you want. Thu Oct 29 20:31:26 -0700 2009 5141086 10483 Joebob 1 5142074 I know you didn't mention it being near you, but if you have access to Trader Joes I really like their red enchilada sauce. I use it whenever I make enchiladas and people love it ... although none of them are Texans :-) Thu Oct 29 22:06:17 -0700 2009 5141086 1120304 amiee 1 5142136 I agree OEP is pretty good. Othewise, chili gravy from chili powder is not to hard to make. If you can make gravy it's very similar. My recipe is: 2Tbsp. lard (or shortening) 2 Tbsp. flour or wondra 3 Tbsp. chili powder or ground chiles Pasillas used bagged chili powder not the jar stuff. 3 Cups warm water Salt to taste 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp garlic powder Melt lard in skillet. Stir in flour. Make a light roux. Add ground chile, water,salt and powders.. Cook until thick around 10 to 15 min, stir frequently on low fire so it doesn’t burn or clump. The perfectionists that make the sauce from dry chili pods, I do what is easy for me and what taste good. I make 10 times the amount listed above for my tamales Thu Oct 29 23:27:55 -0700 2009 5141086 97593 Cinnabon 2 5143002 I gotta chime in. I made tamales a week ago and made a delicious 'gravy' or sauce for the tamal meat. I simmered a pork roast in onion and many different types of dried chiles, including the pasilla and ancho, plus a few fresh peppers. The result was a thick, rich red broth that I put through a blender. After running through a sieve, I had a nice almost creamy sauce that was a bit spicy and could be used for a lot of purposes. Certainly enchiladas and chili. The effort was minimal. The time was a factor, but I drank beer the entire time so no wated effort there. I gave away the remaining 'broth' to a friend who did indeed make enchiladas and claimed it to be her very best ever. That and home made corn tortillas (which are ever so gallantly simple). I would freeze the remaining sauce up for future endeavors. Fri Oct 30 09:42:31 -0700 2009 5142136 277493 DallasDude 3 5150699 Or try this: Combine 2 diced, dried chipotles (stems & seeds removed), 4 lg. cloves garlic, minced, 2 1/2 t chili powder, 1 1/2 t gr. cumin, 2 c chicken broth and 3 c tomato sauce (or any of the canned sauces mentioned above) in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 15-30 minutes or until desired thickness. It seems to keep my half-Mexican hubby happy. Mon Nov 02 17:32:14 -0800 2009 5143002 322300 Michelly 1 5150735 Well, we made some chicken enchiladas tonight. I bought a few different sauces from the store and then I also made Robb Walsh's chili gravy. We did a blind taste test and ultimately went with a blend of the chili gravy (which was good but a bit bitter), Hatch medium enchilada sauce, which had pleasant heat, and frontera red enchilada sauce which had a nice brightness and complexity. About 2 parts gravy to 1 part each of the store-bought sauces. FYI - our least favorite was the Old El Paso - just bland, tasted more like tomato soup than anything remotely Tex-mex. Mon Nov 02 17:44:02 -0800 2009 5141086 199621 cookie44 1 5152002 "so please don't crucify me" Wow, I see that Chowhounds have a hell of a reputation.... Tue Nov 03 09:07:25 -0800 2009 5141086 50258 Axalady 2 5152828 In all fairness, I originally posted this on the "Home Cooking" forum, not here on the General Topics board. Tue Nov 03 13:00:16 -0800 2009 5152002 199621 cookie44 1 5156954 The Safeway house brand. Wed Nov 04 19:11:02 -0800 2009 5141086 195256 jules1026