Brush the ancho, onion, garlic, and bell pepper with a little of the olive oil.
Roast for 3 minutes, or just until they start to puff. If you roast them too long your sauce will be bitter.
Remove the anchos and continue to roast the other ingredients until they caramelize.
Remove the stem and seeds from the acho peppers and cover them with hot water. Leave the seeds in if you want a hotter sauce.
Let stand for one hour.
Remove the anchos from the hot water.
Put them in the blender with the broth,onion, and bell pepper .
Squeeze in the roasted garlic.
Blend until smooth.
Pour into a saucepan.
Add the salt, tomatoes,sugar, cumin, and oregano.
Simmer until it thickens back up.
Notes
Storage:Spoon the sauce into an airtight container. A glass jar is best. The gorgeous, deep red color tends to stain plastic.Store it in the refrigerator and it'll last for 5-7 days.You can freeze homemade enchilada sauce and it'll keep for three months. Let it cool and add it to a freezer safe container. It'll last for 3 or 4 months.I like to make a double batch and freeze half to save it for the next time we're craving Mexican food.Tips:
You don't have to spend much time dicing up the onion or bell pepper. Chop them into a few big pieces and the blender will do the rest!
Soaking the dried chili peppers rehydrates them—an important step! It doesn't matter how much water you use, a few cups should be good.
After blending, strain the sauce into a pan if you want it to be really smooth. This is totally optional but will remove the seeds and some bits of the pepper skins, so the enchilada sauce will taste milder.
The simmer time all depends on how thick you like the sauce. Let it simmer for just a few minutes, and it'll be thinner. The longer the sauce cooks, the more water evaporates, and it'll have a thicker consistency.