Chili Colorado Recipe

From Jared's cookbook:

8-10 New Mexico chilies, California red chilies, anchos, or pasillas
2 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon flour
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 teaspoon whole or powdered cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
pinch oregano

Discard stems and seeds of chilies. Roast 4 minutes in skillet. You will smell them roasting, but don't let them burn. Transfer to bowl, cover with the 2 cups boiling water. Steep 10-15 minutes. Place chilies and 1/2 soaking water in blender. Reserve other half. Puree until smooth, thick consistency.

Heat oil for a few seconds in 1 quart saucepan. Add flour, garlic, and cumin and stir fry for 2 minutes. Paste should brown--when noticeably colored, remove from heat.

Strain the chili puree into the saucepan. (will probably need to press with a wooden spoon.) **Put the remainder of the liquid into the blender, then strain that liquid out too.

Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, for about two minutes. Add salt and oregano, simmer half a minute more and taste. The sauce should savor richly of chili and be thick enough to nap a spoon heavily. It may also have bitter quality, which is not very attractive until paired with the food to be sauced.

UPDATE:

Rick Bayless's recipe is very similar. Three cloves garlic rather than one. No flour, and he calls for only using 1 cup of reserved chili water. 2 cups are added to the simmering meat mixture. I'm uncertain which to follow. I'm nervous about adding too much water, as usual. Whether or not it is the chili reserve water will depend on the relative heat of the chilies I use. UPDATE AGAIN: Bayless says to avoid reserve water because of its astringency--hence one cup.