Spicy Enchilada Sauce

   Living in Texas adapts you quickly to several things.... a loathing for humid days that are 105 degrees in the shade, a yearning you only read about in trashy romance novels for Blue Bell ice cream, and a bold and spicy love for Tex-Mex.  The heat has gone for the year, Blue Bell is starting to recover and deliver again, but Tex-Mex is no-fail bliss all year long!

   In my trek to create amazing enchiladas, I had a slight set back when it came to sauces. The ones in the can were either loaded with salt and preservatives, while being light on flavor, or they were just completely gross and all-around inedible. So I scoured the interwebs for a solution to this debacle. I finally found a base that had 5 ingredients to it, and added a smidgen of this, and a touch of that, until I found what I consider to be the pinnacle of the enchilada sauces. You can see me make it here!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 4 Tbsp. chili powder (I used chipotle chili powder for more heat)
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. oregano
• 2 cups chicken stock or broth

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. 
2. Add flour and stir together over the heat for one minute. Stir in half the chili powder and whisk into the roux, frying the spice for about 30 seconds. 
3. Add half the chicken broth and then the rest of the spices. 
4. Gradually add in the remaining stock, whisking constantly to remove lumps. Reduce heat and simmer 15 - 20 minutes until thickened and sauce coats the back of a spoon. 
5. You may add this immediately to your enchiladas, or store in a refrigerator for up to a week.