Toasted Chile de Arbol and Pumpkin Seed Sauce

I based this sauce on some of the flavors found in a Rick Bayless hot sauce. In Chef Bayless' original recipe he uses several times the amount of chilies and a few other ingredients that I have opted not to use as I took the flavors in another direction. His original recipe is for a hot sauce, similar to a Tabasco style sauce and a table condiment and I have no doubt it is quite delicious. My recipe is for a spicy and very flavorful sauce to be served with a protein, in particular the Tequila-Lime Chicken recipe posted yesterday, though it would be great on most any protein. There are a few simple steps to make this but it is worth the bit of extra effort and the sauce can keep in the refrigerator for at least a week. I hope you enjoy.

Toasted Chile de Arbol and Pumpkin Seed Sauce

Ingredients:

10 pieces chile de arbol

1/2 cup shelled unsalted pumpkin seeds

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup cilantro. rough chopped

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 Tbsp. Mexican oregano (substitute regular if not available)

1 Tbsp. ground cumin

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tsp. dark agave nectar, but light will work fine also

Toast the chilies in a dry saute pan on medium high heat, shaking the pan often and watching them carefully so they do not burn. Place in a medium sized sauce pan and reserve. Toast the pumpkin seeds in the same saute pan as the chiles, also shaking pan and tossing often and watching them so they do not burn. Add to the sauce pan with the chilies. Add the rest of the ingredients except the vinegar and agave nectar into the sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Pour the contents of the sauce pan into a blender in which the small plastic insert has been removed from the top. Cover the open hole with a clean dish towel and starting on a slow speed, puree the mixture. You can increase the speed as some of the steam is let off. Pour through strainer, using a spatula to push it through, into a clean sauce pan. There will still be some solids left in the strainer but there shouldn't be too much. Discard the leftover solids.

Add the cider vinegar and agave nectar and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes or until it lightly coats the back of a spoon.

Nutrition Facts

8 - 2  Tablespoon Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 56.2
Total Fat 3.7 g
Saturated Fat 1.0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.1 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 3.7 mg
Potassium 61.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate 2.7 g
Dietary Fiber 1.8 g
Sugars 0.3 g
Protein 2.5 g