Enchilada sauce from dried chiles
  
  2.5 ounces dried ancho peppers
  2.5 ounces dried guajillo peppers
  1 medium white onion, peeled and cut in half
  2-3 tomatoes, halved (use fresh tomatoes)
  4 cloves garlic, peeled (use fresh garlic)
  4 cups boiling water
  1 teaspoon salt
  1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
  1 teaspoon ground cumin
  Small piece of semi-sweet chocolate 
  
  Remove the stems from the peppers. Slice the peppers open and remove and discard all of the seeds and the membranes (it's the membranes not the seeds that are hot, the seeds are bitter). The best technique I have found is to snip off the bottom point of the dried chile, then insert the back end of a spoon and work it up inside, then use the edge of the spoon to slit the chile open on the side all the way up to the stem. Then open up the chile lengthwise and dump out any loose seeds. Then gently tear around the stem and remove the clump inside the chile. Then turn it inside out and scrape the seeds with a spoon and go after any membrane still present. The guajillo peppers often have membranes that pull off all the way down the pepper.
  
  Heat a cast iron comal over medium-high heat. Don't add any oil. Lay the dried peppers on the skillet and toast them for 20-30 seconds on each side, just until they become very fragrant. It's better to under-toast than to over-toast them as they will become bitter if scorched. Remove to a bowl. Pour the boiling water over the peppers, cover the bowl and let them sit for 20-30 minutes until soft. Taste the liquid to make sure it isn't bitter. If so, drain the peppers and use water in the blender instead of the pepper liquid.
  
  Next place the onion, garlic and tomatoes on the comal and toast until lightly browned. Turn occasionally.
    
  Add the salt, cumin and oregano to the bowl of a blender. When the onion, garlic and tomatoes are done toasting, add those.
  
  Add the peppers and their liquid to the blender (don't use the Cuisinart, even half this recipe would overflow the bowl) and blend until completely smooth. Use a food mill to strain the sauce. 
  
  Cook the sauce: Heat a tablespoon or so of oil to a pot then add red sauce. Simmer it uncovered for about 30 minutes. Add a little water if you prefer it thinner. The sauce should be the thickness of heavy cream.
  
  Add the piece of semi-sweet chocolate at the end and stir until melted.
  
  If the sauce is very bitter, add a touch of brown sugar. SEE NOTE.
  
  Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze it for several months. I like to freeze about a cup of it per freezer bag so I can conveniently grab a bag as needed.
  
  Makes about 5 cups, enough for two batches of enchiladas (7-8 per batch).
  
  Notes
  
  A universal complaint about homemade chile sauce is its tendency to taste bitter. That can be because of the peels of the chili peppers or because they were scorched when toasting them. Whatever the reason, if your chile sauce is too bitter for you, add a little brown sugar.