You replaced all the good stuff! lol, j/k, looks good.
I am going to start simple and what I will be posting will be to some unconventional ways of making some old standards. Please be patient and hang in there because this will all lead to something fantastic.
Lets start by making and perfecting a few core elements.
First a roux.
A improperly made roux can make or break your run of the mill gravies. This may seem obvious but, I thicken my "Chili Colorado" with a roux instead of the standard way of coating your meat with flour which makes for a very lumpy or loose sauce. If you learn to make your roux properly you will have the silkiest red chili sauce you have ever had.
Roux,
1 stick of unsalted butter and 1/4 cup of all purpose flour. Use a small sauce pan. Some people bake them, I have found this to be more of a hassle.
Slowly melt the butter, add flour and mix. I use chop sticks to mix. Low and slow is the name of the game. There are two purposes to this process. 1 is to cook the "raw" flavor of the flour out and the other is to cook off the water in the butter.
Here is the deal, the lighter the roux the more thickening power it has. The darker it is the better it tastes. I have found that a light tan colored roux works best and tastes great. You do not want to walk away for long periods of time, mix often.
Time is irrelevant, you will know when it is done when the frothy bubbles (water) are no longer present, the texture is that of warm peanut butter and it will often smell like buttered popcorn.
Once it is done remove from heat and let it cool, not cold but room temperature. When thickening anything you always add cool to hot or hot to cool. Never add hot to hot. I always add cool roux when I am thickening. I often remove the roux from the pan and put it into a large coffee mug. It cools faster than leaving it in the pan. Set aside.
Next, Red chili Puree.
Let me start by saying, NEVER EVER EVER use red chili powder for anything, ever. They are bitter, and this is most likely because they contain stem pieces and certainly contain the seeds.
Red Chili Puree, Spiciness is subjective, hot to one person is not to another.
4 to 5 (8-10 total)of each mild and hot red chili pods depending on size. 4 to 5 whole garlic cloves peeled. Again depending on size. 3 tsp kosher salt, 2 tsp ground black pepper and 3 or 4 tsp of ground cumin(cumin can loose it's ooomf over time so a fresh batch will be stronger than older cumin therefore 3-4). Enough water to cover the chili's in the pot.
Now why not just use medium chili? Because they have different flavors and this way will get you the best of both.
Take the chili pods and break off the stems and shake out as many of the seeds as possible. Add chili and garlic to the pot with enough water to cover +1 inch. Bring to a simmer. Once in a while stir and push chilis in the water, they sometimes tend to float and this way you make sure the chili pods hydrate evenly.
Cook until the water has reduced by half and the chili's flesh tears easily with a fork or you can poke hole in the sides. If you need to add water during this process do it. The softer the chili's the better.
Note;
This part can be done in tandem with making your roux because once the ingredient are heating in the pot you just need to check them once in a while to make sure the chili pods are submerged.
When chili's are ready carefully add contents of pot to a blender and add the dry ingredients. Blend on High for as long as it takes so that the puree has no Grittiness to it. For me this is around 5-7 minutes. Be patient, it makes a difference.
Taste the puree, adjust salt and cumin as needed. If the puree tastes good full strength it will taste terrific in anything you use it in. Set aside.
End of part 1: Core