Mexican Food, especially green chili...

[TheCup]

Does anyone know where a guy from out west can find some down home New Mexican (region, not genre) cooking? Specifically, I'm looking for some good, spicy green chili. Anyone found anything like that? The dirtier the better.

[vengroff]

Have you tried the Santa Fe Cafe in Arlington? They cook with green chiles. It may be what you are looking for.

Red Sage does high-end southwestern, with some New Mexican dishes. But I have not personally been thrilled by it.

[hjshorter]

Perhaps Austin Grill? The have a couple of locations around town.

I thought you were asking for Mexican, in which case I would direct you to Mixtec in Adams Morgan.

[bilrus]

I've never eaten there but there is a chain of places called Anita's in Northern Virginia that claims to be "New Mexican" cooking. They look like fast-food place / hol ein the walls that could be good or could be very bad. I was curious if anyone else had tried this.

[jhlurie]

I think my neck of the woods has been cheated in the "New Mexican" department. Can someone elaborate on the particulars of New Mexican cuisine? I'm assuming there's more to it than Chilies and Chile. Most importantly what distinguishes it from Mexican and Tex-Mex.

And let's see if we can avoid those old "authenticity" arguments about "Mexican".

If this gets too incredibly off-topic, feel free to start another topic for it. If it can be answered fairly authoritatively and quickly, then just do so here.

[Basilgirl]

I've never eaten there but there is a chain of places called Anita's in Northern Virginia that claims to be "New Mexican" cooking. They look like fast-food place / hol ein the walls that could be good or could be very bad. I was curious if anyone else had tried this.

Anita's is good if you know what to order. Anything with the green chile is probably going to be good. I always get a chile relleno a la carte. Sometimes taquitos. Green chile burrito. Ask for extra green chile.

Most importantly what distinguishes it from Mexican and Tex-Mex.

One difference is the use of green chiles (!) and the New Mexican enchiladas are stacked, not rolled.

Edited July 1, 2003 by Jason Perlow (log)

[Basilgirl]

I still can't get that quote thing down.

[jhlurie]

You got the quotes backwards--at least partially. First quote bracket should NOT have the backslash and the second should. If you nest them to quote within a quote, they should always pair off so that you have an equal number without backslashes and with them.

Stacked how?

[vengroff]

When I think of New Mexican food, I think of green chiles as a primary ingredient, not just a spice added to a dish whose primary ingredient is meat or beans. If you order a bowl of chile some places in New Mexico, you get a stew of chile peppers, no meat, no beans. Chile rellenos is another good example. Those stacked enchiladas are great, especially with a fried egg on top.

[vengroff]

Stacked how?

Think of a stack of pancakes, but made out of blue corn tortillas instead. Then put chile, cheese, and/or meat between the layers, and a green chile sauce. A New Mexican version of lasagna, perhaps.

[Basilgirl]

I guess layered would be a better term than stacked...the corn tortillas are layered with whatever and stacked 2 or 3 high, I think.

[Jason Perlow]

http://www.masterstech-home.com/The_Kitche...Enchiladas.html

This recipe is from the ancient USENET archive, can someone key this into RecipeGullet?

[jhlurie]

I'm thinking the states of New York and New Jersey have been cheated of New Mexican because they don't like the word "New" to be hijaacked. I'll bet the same is true of New Hampshire.

Okay--is this even vaguely New Mexican? These guys seem to think so.

[vengroff]

Here is a recipe for New Mexico Enchiladas.

[Jaymes]

Sounds to me like what you're looking for is what most folks call Green Chile Stew.... You might try calling around and asking the restaurants if they have it by that name. Or you can prepare that at home. It's quite delicious.

As for the rest of it:

New Mexico, in many people's opinion, grows the best chiles anywhere in the world. Hatch, in the southwestern part of the state is the "Chile Capital of the World." For the most part, whether a chile is red or green is a matter of how long it's left on the plant - ie, how ripe it is.

Driving through that portion of New Mexico during chile season is a real culinary experience. There are stands all along the roads selling "ristras" - those long garlands of dried red chiles that folks hang in their kitchen, taking down a few and reconstituting them as needed to use in their cooking.

The finest chile powder in the world, in my opinion, is 100% New Mexico Red Chile Powder, which you should be able to find in your stores. It's all I use.

There are several main differences among the various kinds of "Mexican" food in the US states along the border. New Mexican food, primarily because of their love affair with their chiles, is generally considered to be hotter. They do have blue corn tortillas, because they grow blue corn, but that doesn't predominate so much. It gets talked about because it's unusual. People say that if you close your eyes, you can't tell the difference in taste between those and the "regular" ones. I don't know one way or another because I've never tried this test.

Also, because of their fondness for their ristras - those dried red chile garlands are everywhere - most of their salsas are based on reconstituted red chiles - either from the ristras, or from the powder, which I mentioned above. They are not usually based on fresh peppers, like the salsas of southern California and Texas.

Southern New Mexico and Arizona are greatly influenced by the foods of the Sonoran Desert of northern Mexico, so the foods that you find there also are very popular in New Mexico. There's lots of beef, for example.

Here's another typically New Mexican enchilada recipe (although this one does use fresh green chiles).

Enchiladas Verdes (for 4)

1 doz corn tortillas

2 C grated cheese (when I can get Mexican cheeses, I use it; when I can't I use a mixture of mild cheddar or Colby and Jack)

3 cups green chile sauce, hot, simmering on stove (recipe below)

Skillet with hot oil

Allow three tortillas per person. One at a time, fry tortillas briefly in hot fat or oil just to heat through and soften. Do not allow to crisp. Dip tortilla directly from oil into hot green sauce, and then place on warmed dinner plate. Cover tortilla with handful of grated cheese (about 1/4 cup). Working quickly, repeat procedure with another tortilla, and place, layer-cake fashion, on top of first tortilla and cheese. Sprinkle 2nd one with cheese. Add third tortilla and pour green chile sauce over enchilada to desired wetness. Serve immediately.

If you put a dollop of sour cream on top, that makes it an Enchilada Suiza (for some reason I don't understand).

Green Chile Sauce:

12 green chiles

2 med tomatoes or 1 cup canned tomatoes

1 med onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

1 tsp salt

Roast chile peppers over gas fire, or on BBQ, or under broiler until outside skin is blistered. Put them in a plastic bag and wait a few minutes until they are steamed and their skins peel easily. Remove skins, core, seeds, and prominent veins. Chop chiles into half-inch pieces. Place in saucepan and add tomatoes, onion, garlic and salt. Add just enough water to barely cover.

Simmer until onions are clear and sauce has reached proper consistancy - about 10 minutes.

Edited July 2, 2003 by Jaymes (log)

[misscindy]

The Golden West Cafe on 36th Street in Hampden (Baltimore) fits the bill. A very casual, hip, tiny cafe that serves fantastic New Mexico style breakfast, as well as lunch and dinner. It will cure your green chile craving for sure.

[hjshorter]

Enchiladas Verdes (for 4)

I'm making these tomorrow, after I hit the Grand Mart today. Thanks Jaymes!

[Jaymes]

Enchiladas Verdes (for 4)

I'm making these tomorrow, after I hit the Grand Mart today. Thanks Jaymes!

Terrific!

If you don't care for them, please PM me and we can discuss it.

But if, on the other hand, you're just crazy about them, please feel free to brag on me right here!!

[adobohead]

i've only seen stuffed sopapillas on menus in new mexico restaurants. nowhere else.

it's like a burrito, but instead of getting rolled into a tortilla the contents are enclosed in sopapilla dough and deep-fried. delicious.

pork green chile stew definitely.

on a nostalgic note, i took a road trip through new mexico a few years ago, stopping every now and then to eat at roadside restaurants. i don't remember having a single meal that was not perfectly, joyfully satisfying. can't wait to go back. amazing food.

[BobL]

In my humble opinion noone in the DC area does really good green chile cooking. After a few attempts we've given up.

At my house, every August, we order 50 - 75 lbs of green chile's from New Mexico, spend a weekend having a roasting party, bag 'em up in groups of 6 and freeze them. Then all year around we have the great flavor of roasted green chile's whenever we want and have the time to do the work of thawing, peeling & chopping.

Can't have a good green chile stew without 'em.

[altar-ego]

All I can say is good luck. I'm from the SW (AZ/NM) and I haven't found a damn thing on the East Coast even worth mentioning. I'll stick to making my own.

[hjshorter]

At my house, every August, we order 50 - 75 lbs of green chile's from New Mexico, spend a weekend having a roasting party, bag 'em up in groups of 6 and freeze them.  Then all year around we have the great flavor of roasted green chile's whenever we want and have the time to do the work of thawing, peeling & chopping.

I'll put it on my calendar. Uh, we are all invited, right?

[BobL]

Sure, come on by. Of course it may be done at the Delaware shore this year. Just follow the smell. LOL

I will probably order this week and set up for the next few weeks, depending on the harvest.

[altar-ego]

I want to come!!! I miss the smell of roasting Hatch Chiles on street corners.

[tpogue@comcast.net]

Anita's has real New Mexican style food but it's a mad house of a place. Actually she has a couple of places in Northern Virginia. I haven't been there in a few years but it's where we used to go before I started getting fresh chilies sent to me from Hatch. Now I just roast my own. I've never had anything close to New Mexican style except at Anitas in our area.

terry in Potomac