Homemade Ancho Sauce – Canning Recipe

Every time we go out and get Mexican food Jason likes to order Ancho Sauce..I thought what the heck, let’s make that for the challenge so we can have it on hand when I make Mexican food for dinner (like tonight). It is a sweet and spicey sauce that is good on enchiladas, burritos, grilled chicken or fish. It is a pretty easy recipe and it can be canned or used immediately like the barbecue sauce and ketchup!

Ingredients:

• 4 dried ancho chiles
• 1 medium Onion chopped
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 5 small tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (for directions on how to do this check out this recipe)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• pinch of dried leaf oregano
• pinch of cumin
• 4 cups chicken stock – I usedHomemade

Directions:

1. Soak your ancho peppers in hot water for 15 minutes.
2. Cut off the stems and rinse out the insides to remove as many of the seeds as possible. Chop into small pieces.
3. In a medium stock pot heat up your oil, sautee your onions and chilis until tender.
4. Add your stock and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Let boil for 15 minutes.
5. Transfer to a blender or use an immersion blender and blend until smooth.
6. Ladle into prepared jars and leave 1/4 inch head space. Process for 10 minutes.

Canning Instructions: 

1. Place 4 clean pint jars on a rack in your stock pot. Fill the jars and stock pot with cool water until it completely covers the top of the jars. Cover and put on medium heat. Simmer but do not boil.
2. Prepare 4 lid sets, put the bands aside and put the flat lids in a small sauce pan and put on medium heat. Do not boil, but keep warm through the whole process.
3. Prepare your ingredients according to the directions above.
4. Now, remove the jars from the warm bath. Tip them as you pull them out and pour the water back into the pan. Place them on a towel on the counter with the opening up. Do not dry them! Just put them down and put the funnel in. Put your ingredients in your jars. into each jar until there is about 1/2 inch of space in the top. Once all jars are full, take a plastic or wooden utensil and move it around to get extra air bubbles out.
5. Take the small magnet tool and remove flat lids from their hot bath. Place over top of each jar. By hand screw on the collars, but not too tight! Remember some air still needs to get out of each jar.
6. Place the jars back into the hot stock pot and replace the lid. Turn your temperature up to high. When it starts to do a rolling boil, start a timer for 10 minutes.
7. After the jars have processed for 10 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the lid to the pan. Let cool for 5 minutes. Remove all the jars without tipping them and place them back on the towel. Remember – don’t towel them off!

This recipe is part of the Food Challenge with nine other bloggers. You can check out the recipes below for this challenge! Each month we’ll be doing another challenge – let us know if you try any of the recipes!