Recipes

Chile River Favorites!

New Mexico has its own unique style of Mexican cooking, such as red or green enchiladas and chile rellenos, rich not only in flavor but in color too. We use red and green chile to spice up everyday meals, even breakfast with our zesty huevos rancheros (literally meaning “ranch eggs.”)

Maybe the most common question in New Mexico is “red or green?” We eat green and red chile on everything – you simply have to choose which one. Just remember here in New Mexico C-H-I-L-E is a pepper pod used to spice up meals, while C-H-I-L-I is a dish containing meat, beans, and chili spices- two very different things!

The following recipes are family favorites and some are from the Hatch Chile Festival Cookbook.




How to Prepare Chile

Roasting Green Chile

If you don’t have a chile roaster here’s how you can roast chile at your home.

Select chiles that are firm, smooth-textured, and freshly picked. Wash the pods and dry them. Next prick each chile with a fork and place on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Place in oven 3 to 4 inches away from broiler and blister each chile evenly on both sides. Remove chile from oven and cool in cold water to stop cooking. Once they have cooled you can peel them and then they are ready for your favorite dish. Note: you can also place your chiles into freezer bags and freeze them for up to one year. You can also roast your chile on a BBQ grill!!!

Red Chile Sauce made from Dried Chile Pods

Select red chile pods that are bright red, free from mold and not discolored. Remove stems and seeds and rinse well. Place in a large pot and add water to cover chile. Bring to a boil; turn off heat and let chile seep for 5-10 minutes. This helps to soften the chile meat so it will separate from the chile peel and this helps it blend well in the blender. Next add two cups of chiles, one cup of water and a small clove of raw garlic to blender. Blend on high speed for 2-3 minutes until well blended. Pour sauce into a strainer or colander, this helps to remove any chile peels and seeds. You can store sauce in freezer bags for up to one year.