A dark, fruity red sauce that leans on my red chile base. Tomatoes and cherries cook down to a paste, the chile base melts in, and citrus and spice brighten it at the end. Spoon it over stewed meat or simmer chicken right in it for tacos, enchiladas, and the like.
Ingredients
Initial paste
- 1 T oil or butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5c diced tomatoes
- 1c frozen sour cherries
- 1 T chicken stock concentrate
late addition
- 1c red chile base
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- ~1 tsp paprika, cayenne, or hotter chile powder
- ~1 tsp garlic powder
- ~1/2 tsp coriander
Preparation
Sweat the onions and garlic in oil or butter until soft. Add the diced tomatoes, cherries, and a chicken stock concentrate.
Reduce slowly, letting it deepen to a paste — take your time, don't scorch it, and let the flavor concentrate.
Stir in the red chile base and the rest of the late addition ingredients.
Give it a quick final simmer to marry everything and take the edge of the raw chile and spices.
Serving
Serve over chicken, or use it as a simmer sauce for chicken tacos/enchiladas, or do a longer braise with thighs or even pork shoulder.