Although original, the "root" of this sort of sauce is Mole. Various Mexican sauces abstract parts of that complicated, ancient mixture, which involves various fried chiles, nuts, and fruit, ground into a paste and cooked for long time.

This sauce is based on the dried Pasilla chile, which is also known in parts of California and Arizona as Pasilla-Negro. It has a distinctive "nutty" taste.

Procedure:

On low heat, fry about 2 oz of de-seeded, de-stemmed, de-veined, and broken up pasilla in a little oil until they're soft. For the last minute or so add in 2 chopped cloves of garlic, some oregano, a little cumin seed, 2 broken up bay leaves, and 1 whole clove. Don't use so much oil that you have more than a little excess left over.

Add it all to a blender, along with 1/4 - 1/2 large can of whole tomatoes and its juice. Blend till it's a smooth paste, about the consistency of thick spaghetti sauce.

Remove into a bowl. Now temper the sauce with balsamic vinegar, adding a little at a time until it tastes right. This should not taste of vinegar; add just enough so you start to taste it. Then add peach jam (or some other jam), a tiny bit at a time, until the desired degree of sweetness.

Let sit for at least an hour so the flavors meld.

Reheat and serve over steamed tempeh, or sauted seitan.

Tell me how it turns out, and any changes you make,

(jkandell@ccit.arizona.edu)