Ingredients
- Dried Colorado, New Mexico or Guajillo Chiles 2 oz (10 to 12), stemmed and seeded
- Ripe Tomatoes ½ lb
- White Onion 1 thick slice (about 2 oz)
- Garlic 2 cloves
- Dried Oregano 1 tsp
- Kosher Salt 2 tsp, or to taste
- Vegetable Oil 2 Tbs
- Chicken Broth, Vegetable Broth or Water 1 cup
- Green Beans 2 lb, ends trimmed and sliced diagonally into 2-inch pieces
Cook it
- Heat a comal, griddle, or skillet over medium heat. Toast the chiles for 1 to 2 minutes, turning them a few times as they change colour; be careful not to burn them. Remove from the heat.
- Place the chiles in a medium saucepan. Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic, cover generously with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until the chiles have plumped.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chiles, tomatoes, onion and garlic to a blender and add 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Add the oregano and salt and purée until smooth.
- Heat the oil in a large casserole or skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking, about 2 minutes. Pour in the chile purée and the broth and stir. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for a couple minutes.
- Stir in the green beans. Once the liquid comes back to a simmer, cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. The sauce will thicken considerably, and the beans will be soft and tender but still have a tiny bit of toothsomeness.
- Serve.
Recipe excerpted with permission of the publisher from Foods of La Frontera by Pati Jinich (Harper Colins, 2026). Adapted slightly for style.
