It all began because I wanted roasted and peeled Hatch green chiles.
Well actually, that's not true. It all began because I realized one night that the ham and potatoes I'd cooked before leaving home were on the verge of going off...er, the potatoes had gone off but I thought I could salvage the rest of the ham. So I trimmed and diced the ham, and made mac 'n' cheese 'n' ham, more or less according to my darling's and my favorite proportions. (It was sobering to realize I probably hadn't made this since he died. I had to refer to my notes!) I used some really good white cheddar cheese, and this was dinner that night.
It was okay, but bland compared to the usual. In the night I began dreaming about "Jim's Famous Green Chile Burgers" in Hatch, NM. I'd be passing near there. I've never had that burger, just heard about it. I love green chile cheeseburgers. Maybe I should take a detour through there. Maybe I could find some of those chiles roasted, for my own purposes.
I asked my camp hosts the next morning, and learned that I shouldn't need to go to Hatch, or even stop in Las Cruces, for those chiles. I could probably get them at the local Lowe's grocery store. So away I went. For roasted green chiles.
Can you guess the outlines of this story? 🙂
It was either Valentine's Day or the day before, and the place was geared up for the event.
(There were more overtly Valentine's Day delicacies, like chocolate-dipped strawberries in heart-shaped plastic boxes, but I rushed past them.)
This Lowe's is quite large and well-stocked. I was told that they'd recently renovated, and that may account for why they're nearly unrecognizable from their counterparts that we visited in past years and other cities.
I got past the sweets-bakery section and ran full into the breads. Wow.
It smelled good. It looked good. The jalapeno-popper-sourdough loaf caught my eye. "How hot is that?" I asked the man at the counter. He didn't know. I decided to find out, and that's what you saw in this morning's brunch. (Answer, a little kick, not much.)
Across the way from the bread bakery is a staggering selection of wine, beer, and other spirits. Aisles' worth!
I picked up a couple of bottles of Malbec.
Then, on I went to the produce area. It's also quite well-stocked and attractive.
The prices are good.
Chiles? Did I want chiles? I had my choice of fresh or dried...
...but this is what I'd come for:
All mild. I'd been hoping for medium heat, but now that I've had some I'm glad they only offered mild.
The meat section was interesting. I've just remembered that collages like these have fuzzy detail. If anyone's interested in more detail from the labels, like prices, let me know. I'll post a better photo of the item in question.
I was on my way out, more or less having stuck to my shopping list, when I passed by their tortilleria. Wow. This was a new experience for me!
I didn't manage to get pictures of either of the gentlemen working the equipment, and probably should have asked. They were quite friendly and probably wouldn't have minded showing off their smiles!
This machine was fascinating. At the front end (far back in the photo, top of collage) one man was kneading, rolling and shaping each tortilla, then loading it onto the conveyor belt. From there it went through the oven, came out puffed onto the blue curved conveyor in the center image, and then went through the traveling grid of cooling screens you see in the front of the photo (bottom of the collage) until it came out to the second gentleman. He'd inspect. If it was torn or split, he dumped it into a waste bucket. If it looked good, he stacked it. He watched me watching. The smell was wonderful and the machine was fascinating. I guess I've heard of tortillas puffing like this, but I've never seen them do it. The entire process reminded me most nearly of what we used to see in Egypt when pita bread was being made.
"Would you like a sample?" he grinned. "Sure," I said, "hand me the next torn one you get." "Oh no," he responded as his buddy at the front end of the equipment laughed. "Only the best for customers!" Well. Let me tell you, you have't had a proper flour tortilla until you've had a hot, fresh, recently puffy one. I had no idea! I said so, and said "You're a great salesman!" as I grabbed a bag of ten tortillas. They both laughed and we bade each other good day.
So that's my story of Lowe's in Alamagordo. I'm happy to report that the green chile is exactly what the mac 'n' cheese 'n' ham needed, with a slice of yellow cheese for extra cheesy flavor and color.
I just wish I'd gotten more than one package of those chiles.
