I'd use it. As long as it has no fuzzy's on the top or sides.

What is the recipe? I would love to have a good enchilada sauce recipe.

Well, you buy Ancho or New Mexico (these are not hot) chili's. Fill a big pot 1/2 way with water and bring to a boil. Add 8-10 chili's and cook until they are soft. About 15 min. Drain off water, and add cold water to cool them. Remove stems and seeds and put the chilis in a blender with a couple teaspoons of salt, and 4 large garlic cloves. Fill blender almost full with water. But not so much water that it'll seep out the lid when you turn the blender on. Blend until smooth. About 5 min. Then use a tea strainer, and strain the liquid through it to remove the skin.
Oh yes, before you start all this process, make sure you have on old clothes.

Then to make the enchiladas, you put a little oil in a skillet, and a tablespoon or so of flour. Then pour in the red sauce, and stir until it thickens a little. Take a tortilla, and dunk it in the sauce, and cover both sides. Then put it on a plate, and fill with your choice of meat. I like chicken and onion. Roll it up, and place it in a cake pan or pyrex dish. When it's full, spoon a little more sauce over them, and sprinkle a lot of shredded cheese over them. Bake at 325° for 1/2 hour or so, until it bubbles on the edges and cheese is melted.
Leslie

Kathy, here's my enchilada sauce recipe.

Here is a link that might be useful: Enchiladas

ttt

Leslie, is there no tomato in your sauce? How does it get red? I'm confused. =)

I'd like to try it. All those chilis sound good.

No, no tomato in it. It gets red because the chili itself is red. It's a dried chili in a bag, and not a fresh one.
Leslie

I've used the enchilada sauce recipe on the link below many times and it's really good. It's red (without tomatoes) due to the color of the chili powder. It's a sort of brick red.

Here is a link that might be useful: veggie enchilada recipe at epicurious

Ohhhh I see! Thanks...

(This forum is so fattening!)

OK, for a change I'm going to be the nay-sayer here. There's nothing in that sauce except chilies, water, salt and garlic, nothing acidic like vinegar or lemon.

If it's been in the refrigerator the whole time and if it smells OK and if it's not fuzzy or fizzy or discolored, then it's probably OK, but I'm still a little concerned about the length of time, being "a couple weeks". I'd at the very least use it right away, I wouldn't try to store it longer.

Annie

I never use chili powder in enchilada sauce, although I sometimes add tomato. I do not discard the water that I cooked the chilies in - I add the chilies back into the water that they were cooked in, once the skins are removed, and I do not use cold water to cool them. I use a combination of Ancho, Pasilla, and Guajillo chilies and sometimes add dried Cayenne chilies (but not much).

If you choose to buy enchilada sauce in a can, it is best if you can find a brand that does NOT have tomato, as it will have a more authentic flavor. You can add tomato to it if you like, but it you buy enchilada sauce that has tomato already in it, the chili flavor will be greatly diminished. I often add achiote paste to my chili sauce, to give it a Yucatecan flavor.

Lars

Leslie that sauce sounds so yum. But from my canning experience, I'm going to agree with Annie, peppers are iffy as far as fridge life. I've kept a pepper for maybe two weeks, but not much after that. They just aren't acid enough. And I eat lots of marginal things that folks here would never touch, lol!

Okay, thanks everyone. I'll have to make some more this week. I keep the dried chili's in the freezer until I'm ready to use them.
Leslie

For those of you near Trader Joe's, the Enchilada Sauce sold in the bottle is quite good. For quick enchiladas for dinner on a busy evening, I love the product. Nothing beats homemade, but this TJ's sauce is now a staple in my pantry.