Homemade Roasted Red Pepper Enchilada Sauce

1. If you are using raw red peppers, you will need to roast them first. You can do this in the oven or on a grill.
2. Heat the oven to 500ºF and place the red peppers on a sheet pan. Roast for about 30–40 minutes, until peppers are charred and black on the outside.
3. Turn the grill on medium-high heat and place the peppers on. Grill for about 20-30 minutes, depending on how hot the grill is, until peppers are charred and black.
4. Once finished roasting the peppers, place them in a heat-resistant bowl and cover with plastic wrap until peppers are cool enough to handle.
5. Once peppers are cooled, remove the stem and seeds and then cut them into large chunks. Place chunks of red pepper into a food processor or blender and blend until it becomes a sauce.
6. In a medium-sized sauce pan, heat oil and then add flour to it. Stir until combined.
7. Add the pepper mixture along with the rest of the spices. Stir and then add the water and green chile sauce (if using). Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes until all the flavors have developed and the sauce has reached desired thickness. Feel free to add more water if you would like a thinner sauce.

Notes:
1. Makes about 2 cups of sauce, just enough for a large pan of enchiladas.
2. I have not done it myself, but if you prefer, you can use an equal amount of canned tomatoes instead of red peppers for a tomato based enchilada sauce.
3. If using gluten-free flour, the sauce may seem a little grainy once you finish cooking it, but that texture should disappear once you cook it in the oven with the enchiladas.