This is a classic Mexican sauce that hinges on red chiles and various nuts and seeds. I served it over squirrel in the picture, but any lighter meat is a good choice: pork, chicken, turkey, and even fish or shrimp. Pipian rojo keeps for a week in the fridge and freezes well.
4 to 6dried chiltepin or pequin or arbol chiles(optional)
1/2cuppine nuts or peanuts, toasted
1/3cupsesame seeds, toasted
A 1-inch piece of cinnamon
4 to 6 cloves
4 to 6allspice berries
1teaspoonwhole cumin seed
1plum or paste tomato
2 to 4clovesgarlic
1white onion, sliced
2cupslight stock, chicken or vegetable or game
Salt, smoked if you have it.
Instructions
Remove the stems and shake out as many seeds as you can from the various chiles. Open the chiles up so you can press them flat as best you can. Old chiles will be brittle and break. If they're all like that, just leave them whole.
In a medium pot, heat the stock to a bare simmer. Add the chipotles.
Set the oven to broil and put a rack close to the burner. Slice the tomato in half and peel the garlic, but leave the cloves whole. Toss the tomato, garlic and onion slices with a little oil and set them on a baking sheet. Broil them until you see quite a bit of blackening, about 10 to 15 minutes. You want the vegetables to be about 50 percent blackened. Remove and put in the pot with the stock.
Heat up a comal or cast iron skillet, griddle or other heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Toast all the chiles, one by one. Set a chile down on the hot, dry pan and press it with a spatula. Let this toast for a few seconds. You want to smell the aroma and see a little blistering. Turn the chile over and toast the other side. Do this with all the chiles except for the chipotles and the chiltepins, if using. Set the toasted chiles in a bowl. When all the chiles are toasted, put them in the pot with the stock.
Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in the pan until aromatic and slightly browned in places. Be careful, as pine nuts can scorch easily. Remove them and put the nuts in the bowl of a blender. Do the same thing with the sesame seeds.
Now toast the spices in the same pan. This shouldn't take more than a minute or two. Move the spices to the bowl of the blender.
Pour the contents of the pot into the blender; you may need to do this in batches if you have a small blender. Buzz to a puree. Add the smoked salt to taste.
The sauce is good as it is this way, but traditionally you would cook it in about 3 tablespoons of lard or vegetable oil over medium heat, stirring often, for about 10 minutes. Either way is nice.