What to do with Hatch Green Chiles

Hatch, New Mexico...green chile capital of the world.

Once upon a time, green chile connoisseurs like my in-laws had to make a pilgrimage to New Mexico in August to get Hatch green chiles. It's that wonderful time of year again, and these days you can smell the aroma of Hatch chiles roasting outside of participating grocery stores across America.

When you get home with your twenty dollar or so box of freshly roasted green chiles, you will want to:

1. Peel off the blackened skin and remove the seeds from each chile. Ideally, you will do this under running water. Some people wear gloves to do this.

2. Place 4-8 of the chiles in a small freezer bag. Repeat this process...ABOUT EIGHTEEN TIMES until they are all bagged. Still with me? This is not a project for the lazy, but it is so nice to have these packets in the freezer year round.

Now that you have your chiles portioned out and stored in the freezer, you can use them in omelets, salsas, stews, and best of all, "chile verde."

Here's my husband's latest variation of his famous chile verde aka "green chile." He comes from a New Mexican family that has been making green chile for generations so you can rest assured that this recipe is as authentic as it is delicious...

Ingredients:

1 pound pork, cut into small cubes
1 pound beef, cut into small cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup flour
3 tbsp oil
2 cups chopped roasted green chiles
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp pepper.
splash of lime juice (from 1/2 of a fresh lime)

In a large heavy pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Saute the onions for about five minutes or so. Add meat cubes, and cook, stirring for another five minutes until meat loses its pink color. Sprinkle flour over the meat and onions. Increase the heat slightly, and cook the meat, stirring often until it is browned and onions are golden. Stir in the cumin, garlic, pepper, and chiles, mixing well. Slowly add the chicken broth and stir to incorporate. Lower heat and simmer covered until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally, for about two hours.

New Mexican Style Chile Verde

Serve with warm flour tortillas...

Green Chile Burrito

I like mine sprinkled with cheese and rolled into a burrito.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Summer Squash Bread in Your Bread Machine

2 Crockpots in Every Kitchen: Tips for Serious Slow Cookers

Ghost Writing and Time Management in the Summer