- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 4 ancho chiles, stemmed and rinsed
- 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobe, with some adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon cumin seed
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 2 teaspoons sage
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 cups canned pear tomatoes
- 5 cups of water
- ½ cup honey, plus more if needed
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- ¼ cup each cider vinegar, lemon juice, orange juice
- Combine the onion, garlic, and chiles in a heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan. Toast the herbs and spices together in a small skillet until very fragrant and add to the pan. Add the salt, tomatoes and water, cover and cook over medium heat 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool a bit then blend until smooth. Strain the sauce back into the rinsed pan, pressing on the solids.
- Add the honey, brown sugar, molasses, vinegar, and juices and bring to a simmer. Cook the sauce slowly for about 45 minutes, till thickened some, and the flavors have mellowed. Add more salt if needed, and more honey if it’s too spicy.
- Makes about 6 cups of sauce. Extra sauce stores several weeks in the fridge, a few months in the freezer.