Recipe of the Month: Christmas Chile Jellies

 

The New Mexico state question is “Red or green?” Chile, that is. And if you want both, you enjoy your tamales “Christmas” style. It is only fitting that Christmas gift chile jelly should be Christmas style as well.

Ingredients:

For Green Chile Jelly:
1 tbsp. (medium to hot, to taste) green chiles, chopped
1 cup mild green chilies, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
1-1/4 cup white wine vinegar
5 cups jam sugar
1 ounce liquid pectin

For Red Chile Jelly:
3 red bell peppers, diced
2 cups of jam sugar
6 medium to hot red chilies
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 ounce liquid pectin

Directions:

Combine the chiles and pepper with the vinegar in a food processor. Process until pureed (about 3 minutes). Transfer the puree and sugar to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, skim the foam from the top and discard, then add the pectin.

Return to the heat and bring again to a hard boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir constantly for 5 minutes. As it cools, the jelly will begin to thicken. Pour it into clean, sterilized 8-oz. jars, leaving a 1/4” space at the top. Seal as desired.

Enjoy!

Purchase fresh or frozen flame-roasted New Mexico chiles

Tomorrow is... National Taco Day

I love tacos, and tomorrow is National Taco Day. Lots of fast food and eat in restaurants give away free tacos to celebrate and call attention to this tasty  and classic Mexican food treat.

Most people who celebrate this holiday do so by hosting taco parties or setting up taco building buffets for their friends and family.

What is a taco?
A taco is a traditional Mexican dish composed of a maize or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling. The fact that a taco can be filled with practically any meat, fish, shellfish, vegetable, and cheese allows for great versatility and variety. A taco is generally eaten out of hand, without the aid of utensils, and is often accompanied by a garnish such as salsa and vegetables like onion, cabbage, tomato, and lettuce.

Taco History
The taco predates the arrival of Europeans in Mexico. There is anthropological evidence that the indigenous people living in the lake region of the Valley of Mexico traditionally ate tacos filled with small fish. Writing at the time of the Spanish conquistadors, Bernal Diaz del Castillo documented the first taco feast enjoyed by Europeans which Hernan Cortes arranged for his captains in Coyoacan. Note, however, that the native Nahuatl name for the flat corn bread used was “tlaxcalli.” The Spanish give it the name “tortilla.”

So get out there and enjoy some tacos!

Recipe of the Month: Chile Rellenos

 

Ingredients:

6 Fresh green chiles of a mild variety such as Ancho, Pablano or Anaheim
1/2 pound Queso Blanco or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
(shredded spiced chicken may be used with or instead of the cheese)
1/4 cup flour
6 raw eggs (separated)
2 cups salsa verde and/or 2 cups Homestyle Salsa
1 cup vegetable oil, plus oil to coat chiles
Salt to taste   

Directions:

Rinse the chiles. Preheat oven to broil.

Coat chiles evenly with vegetable oil. Do not use olive oil, as it has a low smoke point. Place the chiles in a 9 x 14 baking dish and place on the top shelf of your oven.

Keep a close watch on the chiles. When the skins start to char and turn black in places, take the chiles out and flip them over. When both sides are fairly evenly charred, remove them from the oven.

Place chiles in a paper bag, roll the tip closed, and allow the chiles to steam. After a few minutes, check the skins. When the skin comes off easily, peel the chiles.

When the peppers are cool enough to handle, slit each pepper lengthwise. You may remove the stem or cut around it according to your preference. Remove the seeds and pulp, and with the back of your knife, gently scrape off any stray seeds which remain.

Fill the chiles. Fillings should be at room temperature or slightly chilled. If fillings are hot, the juices will flow out and cause the coating to slide off.

Use enough filling to stuff each chile relleno as completely as possible, but not so much that the seam won't hold together. Once the chiles are stuffed, you can set them aside for a few minutes or a few hours in the refrigerator.

Whip the egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer, until stiff peaks have formed.

Heat the oil in a skillet until a drop of water sizzles when dropped into the pan.

Beat the egg yolks with one tablespoon flour and salt. Mix the yolks into egg whites and stir to a thick paste.

Roll the chiles in 1/4 cup flour and dip each one in the egg batter. Coat evenly. Fry, seam side down on both sides until golden brown. Place on paper towels to drain.

Meanwhile, heat the salsa in a medium saucepan (either one or some of each). Place one or two rellenos on each plate and pour salsa over them. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Purchase fresh or frozen flame-roasted New Mexico chiles

A Question of Taste: Chile Roasting Season

The New Mexico State Bird is the roadrunner. This little fellow is quite an amazing creature. One would expect that any flightless bird might become dinner for a rattlesnake, but the fact is that roadrunners kill and eat rattlesnakes. They are so fast, that they can pick a rattlesnake up by its tail and slam its head on the ground before the snake has a chance to strike. Quite a feat, I would say, and one which earns a real feast.

Which brings us to the New Mexico State Question. Now most states don’t have a state question, but this one is asked so frequently, the legislature had no choice but to adopt it. The question we would now ask the roadrunner is, “Red, or green?” No, we are not checking to see if the roadrunner is color blind, we are asking him what kind of chile he wants with that rattlesnake. And why not? New Mexicans put chile on almost everything.

Chile Rellenos are whole green chiles with eggs. Green chiles are heaped onto omelettes, burritos (of course!) and meats of all kinds, added to soups and stews, and in New Mexico, even McDonald's offers a chile burger. I once had a roommate who put green chile in tuna salad! Now red chiles are served as a sauce, and are not chunky like green chile. Contrary to popular opinion, red chile is not necessarily hotter than green, and in fact, the hottest chile pepper is green. In the mood for a mixture? Then your answer to the state question is “Christmas!”

The average New Mexican probably has a freezer loaded with chiles, or buys any of numerous brands of green chile refrigerated or frozen. And in their pantry is generally a variety of chile sauces. My favorite is chipotle, made from jalapenos specially roasted to develop a delicious smokey flavor. And then there's the hardcore chile addict, who has a year’s stash of the peppers roasted fresh annually.

Throughout New Mexico, supermarket parking lots are turned into chile roasting stations after the chile harvest. Green chiles are purchased in large burlap bags, and the chile lover takes his or her place in line to wait for their batch to be roasted. The aroma of chiles roasting can be smelled blocks from any supermarket, and for those who live in New Mexico towns, it is a constant for several weeks.

I remember sitting in a Taos supermarket parking lot a couple of years ago, waiting for my cousin to finish her shopping. I was parked just next to the chile roasting “paddock,” watching the ritual, and listening to the sounds of the tumbling chile roaster. Now, my cousin loves chile, but does not have enough room in her freezer to store it in such quantity, so freshly roasted, still-sweating chiles are generally not a staple at her house.

As a woman walked by with her chile stash, I asked her if they perhaps sold any smaller batches, explaining my cousin’s situation to her. Well, this kind soul became my cousin’s “Chile Angel,” offering to sell me a couple of gallon zip lock bags of the still-warm peppers for $2.00. I jumped at the chance, knowing I would be rewarded with a big smile on my cousin’s face when I told her the news. She made those chiles last (it was an amount that she could freeze), enjoying them in numerous dishes for most of the following year.

The subject of chile brings up so many questions, I’m going to write about them in ongoing blog entries... sort of a running FAQ. In the meantime, it’s time to make cornbread and chipotle pinto beans. ~Aimee

Recipe of the Month: Fish Tacos

 

Taco Ingredients:

2 cups chopped white onion, divided
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1/4 cup olive oil
5 tbsp. fresh lime juice, divided
3 tbsp. fresh orange juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1 pound tilapia, striped bass, or sturgeon fillets
Coarse ground salt
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. milk
Corn tortillas
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1/2 small head of cabbage, cored, thinly sliced
Salsa Verde
Lime wedges

Directions:

Stir 1 cup onion, 1/4 cup cilantro, oil, 3 tablespoons lime juice, orange juice, garlic, and oregano in medium bowl. Sprinkle fish with coarse salt and pepper. Spread half of onion mixture over bottom of 11 x 7 x 2 inch glass baking dish. Arrange fish atop onion mixture. Spoon remaining onion mixture over fish. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Turn fish; cover and chill 30 minutes longer. Whisk mayonnaise, milk, and the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice in small bowl.

Brush grill grate with oil; prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill fish with some marinade still clinging until just opaque in center, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Grill tortillas until slightly charred, about 10 seconds per side.

Coarsely chop fish; place on platter. Serve with lime mayonnaise, tortillas, the remaining 1 cup chopped onion, the remaining 1/2 cup cilantro, avocados, cabbage, Salsa Verde, and lime wedges.

Salsa Verde Ingredients:

2 large fresh Anaheim or other mild chiles
1/2 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and diced
1-1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 large green onions, chopped
1 large serrano chile, stemmed, and seeded
1 large garlic clove
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (firmly packed)
1 tbsp. whipping cream
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice (optional)

Directions:

Char chiles directly over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag; let stand 10 minutes. Peel, seed and chop chilies.

Combine tomatillos, broth, green onions, serrano chile, and garlic in medium saucepan; bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until mixture is reduced to 1-2/3 cups, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Transfer mixture to blender. Add Anaheim chiles, cilantro and cream. Puree until smooth. Season salsa with salt and pepper. Add lime juice, if desired.

Enjoy!

Find New Mexico grown, fresh roasted, frozen and prepared chiles