Rancheros Sauce

Ingredients:

12 dried red chiles, stemmed and seeded, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ cup tomato paste
1 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
¼ cup lard (or substitute vegetable oil)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 generous pinches of salt
Water

Instructions:

Serves: 8

Toast chiles and cumin in a large, deep, dry pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until chilies are lightly charred. Add remaining ingredients except water, and sauté for about 10 minutes.

Purée mixture in a food processor or blender, and return it to pan. Add water a little at a time until sauce reaches a consistency you can drizzle. Simmer sauce over medium-low heat for at least 20 minutes (the longer, the better), adding water as needed to keep it moist. Pour sauce into freezer-safe containers. Leave ½ inch head space per pint, label and seal.

From Mother Earth Living.