Rich and Flavorful Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules (*)
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon butter
• 2 tablespoons dried onion flakes or 1/4 cup finely minced fresh yellow onion
• 1 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 teaspoons minced roasted garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried ancho chile powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dry sherry
• Tabasco sauce or your favorite hot sauce, to taste (I used somewhere between 1/4 to 1/2 tsp, cause I'm a whimp)
• salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. 1

   In a large saucepan over medium heat, stir together the boiling water and bouillon granules until dissolved.

2. 2

   Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Use in your favorite enchilada recipes!

4. 4

   *Note:I prefer using 1 tsp of Maggi Chicken with Chipotle bouillon cube and 1 tsp of Chicken and Tomato bouillon cube (in the international aisle, from Nestle products) instead of 2 tsp beef bouillon; please note that most Maggi bouillon cubes contain 2 tsps, so you'll be using half-cubes.

5. 5

   Makes about 4 cups (2 cups is usually enough for one batch of enchilada casserole).