Chile Paste

12 large New Mexico or California red chile pods
3 cups water
2 to 3 large ancho chiles
2 pasilla chiles
6 Guajillo chiles
2 to 4 tablespoons adobo from canned chipotles

Remove stems from chiles. Tear chiles into 1/2-inch pieces and combine in a heatproof bowl. Bring water to boil. Pour water over chiles; stir well, then cover. Let stand for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Drain chiles, reserving the liquid.

Pur e the solids in a food processor until smooth. Press the pur e through a fine sieve to remove any unprocessed seeds or tough bits of skin. Stir in reserved soaking liquid and adobo from the chipotles. Cover tightly and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

Substitute the paste in any recipe calling for powdered chile, using about 1 cup of paste for each 1/3 cup of powder. However, you CANNOT substitute 1/3 cup powder in a recipe calling for 1 cup of chile paste.