Chipotle Sauce

As I understand it, chipotle is actually roasted jalapeno or chili peppers. Like garlic, roasting sweetens the vegetable and creates the basis of a sweet-hot dish, not unlike most barbecues in effect but very different in flavor. Any sauce for jalepenos can be enriched by substituting chipotle peppers, available in some Mexican food sections dried or canned. I like this recipe, inspired by a recipe in Bon Appetite (for some dish with hibiscus flowers)

About 6 plum tomatoes, cut up, 1/2 diced onion (more can be used if a sweet onion is used), 2-3 finely shopped garlic cloves, 2 canned chipotle chilis in adobo, chopped, 2 T oil, 1/4 t powdered bay leaf

Saute the vegetables in the oil in a large pot, add 2 c. water, a cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until tomatoes are mostly mushy. Must them up and simmer until broth thickens to desired consistency. The originally recipe called for boiling, pureeing, and adding heated oil later, but I prefer a lumpy sauce for Mexican dishes or American dishes I want to spice up.