INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Garry Howard, Cambridge, MA.  <garhow@hpubmaa.esr.hp.com>
Recipe By: Cafe Pasqual's Cookbook by Katharine Kagel
NOTE: Roast, peel, seed, devein, and chop chiles to measure.
Cafe Pasqual's is a well known restaurant in Santa Fe, NM and one of my
favorites.  This is the sauce we use to dress omelets, huevo motulenos,
huevos rancheros, enchiladas, and burritos. Called chile verde, it is the
gravy of New Mexico. Gravies are the personal mark of a cook, so please
feel free to make this recipe yours with your own additions or deletions.
Green chiles are available fresh, frozen, canned, or dried. If using fresh
chiles for this recipe, which are preferred, make a special effort to
obtain New Mexico green chiles rather than use the milder, ubiquitous
Anaheim variety. If New Mexico green chiles are unavailable, substitute
fresh poblano chiles. Poblano chiles are shiny, dark green, and have more
of a bell pepper shape that the longer, pointed New Mexico and Anaheim
varieties. Fresh chiles need to be roasted, peeled, stemmed, seeded, and
chopped before using. Frozen chiles have already been prepared in this
manner. If using canned chiles, the least preferable choice, rinse them
thoroughly before using. Canned and frozen chile producs are specifically
labeled by the processor as to whether the chiles are hot, medium-hot, or
mild. If using dried green chiles, soak in hot water tocover for 45 minutes
to rehydrate them, then drain, seed, and chop.
Place all the ingredients, except the vegetable oil and flour, in a saucpan
over medium heat. Simmer uncovered, until juice has thickened and is
opaque, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, taking care that the chiles do
not burn or stick to the bottom of the pan.
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and flour until smooth and well
blended, to form the base for as roux. Place in a saucepan over medium-high
heat until hot and bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and whisk, constantly
until the roux is slightly brown and has a nutty flavor. Remove from the
heat.
Add 1/2 cup of the green chile mixture to the roux and whisk thoroughly
until smooth. Add the roux to the remaining chile mixture and cook over low
heat until the sauce thickens and the "flour taste" disappears, about 15
minutes. Adjust to taste with salt.
Remove from the heat, let cool, cover, and store in a nonreactive container
in the refrigerator until needed. The sauce may be refrigerated for up to 4
days. Check it for sourness if held any longer. The sauce may be frozen for
up to 2 months. To heat the sauce for serving, place it in a nonreactive
pan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
Variation with meat (con carne): Prepare the sauce as direced. Cut 1 pound
pork shoulder in half and trim off any fat. Place the pork in a saucepan
and add 2 white onions, quartered; 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; 2 teaspoons cumin
seeds; 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano leaves; 12 whole black
peppercorns, and water tocover (about 8 cups). Bring to a boil and skim off
and discard the resulting foam. Cover and simmer over low heat until the
meat is tender, about 1 hour. Drain and, with two opposing forks, shred the
meat into long strings. Chop the shredded meat with a cleaver into 1/2-inch
lengths and stir into the finished chile sauce.
CHILE-HEADS ARCHIVES
From the Chile-Heads recipe list.  Downloaded from Glen's MM Recipe
Archive, http://www.erols.com/hosey.

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