Big-Batch Ranchero Sauce

There is no other aroma coming from the kitchen — not truffle, not freshly peeled orange, not a chocolate cake baking — that will stop you in your tracks and make you inhale as deeply as this ranchero sauce simmering away. Here’s a large batch to use in many ways: Poach eggs in it for brunch, simmer shrimp in it for taco filling, or spoon it over shredded chicken with avocado slices inside a flour tortilla for lunch for the kiddos. Put it in tightly sealed Mason jars and bring it to friends as a host gift.

Ingredients

• 6 ½

  pounds/about 100 ounces canned whole, peeled plum tomatoes and their juices (or one restaurant-style No. 10 can)

• 1

  bunch cilantro, leaves and stems washed and roughly chopped

• 1

  cup peeled garlic cloves

• 4

  serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed then roughly chopped

• 2

  guajillo chiles, stems detached

• 1

  tablespoon achiote paste

• Kosher salt, to taste

Preparation

1. Combine everything in a large pot or rondeau, and simmer over gentle heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent any scorching on the bottom. Add a little water if it becomes any thicker than ketchup. Allow to cool before puréeing.
2. Working in a blender in batches, purée until smooth. Check the salt seasoning. Let cool.
3. Transfer to quart or pint containers, and stock your freezer, or put the sauce in something more attractive — rubber-sealed jars with hinged lids? — to make gifts of the stuff. Ranchero sauce keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 1 year. (It may separate a little, in which case you can simply reheat and give a new buzz in a blender to reunify.)