Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   3                    dried New Mexico chiles *
   3                    dried serrano chiles **
   3      Cloves        garlic -- separated & skins le
                        Boiling water
                        Salt to taste

Preparation:

* pasilla, guajillo, or ancho chiles ** or chile arbol, or Thai bird chiles Heat a large flat griddle or skillet over high heat. Place the chiles on= the dry skillet, along with the garlic. Check them every few minutes,= looking for brown spots as they toast on the dry griddle; turn both the= chiles and the garlic cloves, keeping an eye on the color and more= importantly on the aroma. When the scent changes and takes on a toasty,= rich character, they're done. Remove them from heat and let them cool for= a few seconds. When cool enough to handle (the peppers cool more quickly= than the garlic, which in turn takes longer to cook), pull out the stems,= veins, seeds and placentas from the chiles. Tear the skins into= medium-sized chunks and place them in a small bowl. Pour boiling water= over them just to cover, then place a smaller bowl or saucer over the= peppers to keep them immersed in the water. Set your timer for at least 30= minutes before continuing. After the peppers have had time to soak well,= pour the peppers and water into a blender. Peel the skins off the garlic= cloves (which should smell sweet, smoky and wonderful in their own right)= and drop them into the blender as well. Puree thoroughly. The sauce will= be chunky; if appearance is important, you can strain it through a wire= strainer to get the larger pieces of the skin out of the mixture. (I= begrudge the amount of sauce that clings to the mesh myself...) Taste it;= add salt and serve immediatel