New Mexico Green Chilies

[birder53]

Okay, they're all peeled now, and mostly seeded. Given how many chiles there were, I sort of gave up on getting every single seed off 'em, but at least got the major seed clumps out--the chiles are still plenty hot enough even without them. I tried to keep them as whole as I could manage--the flesh of some of them was kind of falling apart at this point, but the majority stayed in one piece amazingly well.

I now have ten baggies of green stuff in my freezer (easy-to-misinterpret phrasing totally intentional ). There was an 11th baggie, but I used it to make a green chile stew with pork. Whoa! Almost too spicy for my tummy, but it hurts so good!

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Congratulations! We also have bags of peppers in the freezer along with containers of green chili and posole stew. Bring on the recipes!

[mizducky]

Well, here's the green chile stew recipe that I put together after checking out several different recipes on the web:

2 pounds pork, cubed

Vegetable oil for sauteeing

1 large onion, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1-2 cups NM green chile, roasted, peeled, stems removed, chopped

2-4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or 1 small can tomatoes)

Water, broth, and/or canned tomato liquid, enough to just barely cover ingredients

1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

1 Mexican bay leaf

1 tsp ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1. In a skillet, brown the pork in batches in a tablespoon or so of oil. Place the meat in a stockpot or slow cooker.

2. Saute the onions and garlic in the same skillet until soft and browned, adding more oil if needed. Add all the seasonings except the bay leaf after the onions/garlic have had a minute or so to get going.

3. Add some of the water/broth/tomato juice to the onion mixture to help deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up all the fond. Add the contents of the skillet to the meat.

4. Add all the remaining ingredients to the pot. Cover and simmer for an hour or two on stovetop, or the corresponding amount of time in the slow cooker, until the pork is very tender. Serve with fresh corn tortillas.

I made the above using a full two cups of green chiles, and as my chiles were a good bit hotter than I expected, the results, while delicious, were almost too hot for me to eat any appreciable amount. I wound up eventually picking all the pork out and enjoying that with just a little chile, and now I'm going to freeze the remaining green chile sauce to use--sparingly!--in other dishes.

I like this recipe formulation--I'd just suggest proceeding with caution, taking into account the level of heat in your batch of chiles as well as your diners' tolerances. (I bet anyone who is a real fire-eater would have found my current batch of green chile stew just to their liking, or maybe even a little on the mild side for them.)

[birder53]

Thanks! My recipe used a combination of mild and hot green chilies. The peppers I bought at the farmers market had a nice level of heat. I added some frozen green chilies from the local supermarket which were a bit milder. The final product was still pretty spicy, but if you can find frozen green chilies in your neck of the woods, that could help temper your current batch.

[ludja]

This past weekend we grilled some buffalo burgers and topped them with roasted green chiles and cheddar. It's a match made in heaven! I put ketchup on mine as well.

Another great sandwich is turkey, jack cheese and roasted green chile on grilled bread. Sometimes called an "Albuquerque Turkey" in those parts...

Edited October 17, 2007 by ludja (log)

[ludja]

Well, here's the green chile stew recipe that I put together after checking out several different recipes on the web:

2 pounds pork, cubed

Vegetable oil for sauteeing

1 large onion, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1-2 cups NM green chile, roasted, peeled, stems removed, chopped

2-4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or 1 small can tomatoes)

Water, broth, and/or canned tomato liquid, enough to just barely cover ingredients

1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

1 Mexican bay leaf

1 tsp ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1. In a skillet, brown the pork in batches in a tablespoon or so of oil. Place the meat in a stockpot or slow cooker.

2. Saute the onions and garlic in the same skillet until soft and browned, adding more oil if needed. Add all the seasonings except the bay leaf after the onions/garlic have had a minute or so to get going.

3. Add some of the water/broth/tomato juice to the onion mixture to help deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up all the fond. Add the contents of the skillet to the meat.

4. Add all the remaining ingredients to the pot. Cover and simmer for an hour or two on stovetop, or the corresponding amount of time in the slow cooker, until the pork is very tender. Serve with fresh corn tortillas.

I made the above using a full two cups of green chiles, and as my chiles were a good bit hotter than I expected, the results, while delicious, were almost too hot for me to eat any appreciable amount. I wound up eventually picking all the pork out and enjoying that with just a little chile, and now I'm going to freeze the remaining green chile sauce to use--sparingly!--in other dishes.

I like this recipe formulation--I'd just suggest proceeding with caution, taking into account the level of heat in your batch of chiles as well as your diners' tolerances. (I bet anyone who is a real fire-eater would have found my current batch of green chile stew just to their liking, or maybe even a little on the mild side for them.)

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Thanks for sharing your recipe; it sounds very close to the one I make. Batches of NM green chile can really vary between batches. I love the heat so I don't do this for our consumption, but you can "cut" the heat a bit by subbing some roasted 'regular' supermarket Anaheims. In this way you still get the great texture of just pork and chile. Deseeding and deveining as you did helps as well but sometimes they are still pretty hot! Serving some pinto beans on the side helps those of more tender tongue as well!

[eatrustic]

I've been wanting to try a Green Chile Apple Pie ever since I heard about it. I recently picked up some frozen ones while in Phoenix (one hot and one mild). Which one makes the classic pie: hot or mild?

[gfron1]

I would go mild - because even that will have zip. I will say that I recently judged an apple pie contest and of all of the entrants, the green chile version was unanimously our least favorite. Could have just been this specific pie however.

[eatrustic]

I would go mild - because even that will have zip.  I will say that I recently judged an apple pie contest and of all of the entrants, the green chile version was unanimously our least favorite.  Could have just been this specific pie however.

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Thanks, I would have thought mild as well but you never know. I'm hoping that the chile pie you tasted and didn't like was the fault of the baker as John T. Edge in his book "Apple Pie" raved about the version from Senor Pie.

[gfron1]

Definitely report back - I'd be interested to hear if its gimmick or a true improvement.

[eatrustic]

I would go mild - because even that will have zip.  I will say that I recently judged an apple pie contest and of all of the entrants, the green chile version was unanimously our least favorite.  Could have just been this specific pie however.

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Thanks, I would have thought mild as well but you never know. I'm hoping that the chile pie you tasted and didn't like was the fault of the baker as John T. Edge in his book "Apple Pie" raved about the version from Senor Pie.

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Ok, so I made a version of the green chile apple pie using frozen mild New Mexico green chilis.

There are recipes that call for just a bit of chile (1 Tbl.) and some that call for lots more. I added just under a 1/4c. and....to be honest not too sure about this one. The taste is (as you would imagine) pretty different. I had figured that if you come from the apple pie with a slice of aged cheddar crowd that this might work but it really is a taste combination that is not for everyone, including myself.

Guess I'll stick to green chile cheeseburgers for now until I can actually taste the real thing in N.M. and decide if this is a gimmick or not.

[gfron1]

I thought today would never come! Finally, after a delayed harvest caused by our monsoon rains, we are finally seeing chiles at the stores. Today was the first day of local roasting, and folks were lining up as early as 6:30.

I was getting nervous since we really need them for the upcoming Chile Fest gathering.

Edited August 14, 2008 by gfron1 (log)

[gfron1]

May I share my romantic feelings for a moment?

Today was the day that I welcomed a new friend to my kitchen. He is a friend that I invite each year, but only comes for one day. He releases his musk, which wafts through my nose, sending quivers of orgasmic ecstasy throughout my limbs. If I could wrap my arms around his scent, I would squeeze so hard that he could never leave. But, alas, he always does. After a few short hours all that remains are memories of his existence, and maybe an instant recall following a bite of his slimy green flesh. Yes, my friends, today is the day I roasted my chiles!

For those of you who haven't met my friend, I'll do my best to introduce you. This time of year, green chile trucks are all over our highways and side roads. Behind them lay a crumb trail of green curled peppers. My first experience with the real deal (not the canned Ortega crap) was in a little tiny town called La Garita, where after a day of rock climbing with Tory, I would get a green chile cheeseburger. This truly is food of the gods.

Nowadays I have green chile year round, at pretty much any restaurant I go to. And I use green chile daily in the cafe for a couple of our menu items. So today's reuniting with my friend was as much about love as money (I'll spend pennies on the dollar using these chiles). Here is how its done.

You start by going to pretty much any grocery in the area and pay about $17 per bushel with a $2.50 roasting fee. Bring your own trashbags and/or pillow case. Here's my friend waiting for his ride:

The full write-up can be found at my blog.

My question - does anyone tip their roaster attendant? I always feel like I should so that probably answers it, but I'm curious.

Edited August 26, 2008 by gfron1 (log)