Grajeda's Fresh Green Chile Salsa

The green chiles that are just starting to turn orange at the tips are the hottest. When they turn all orange they lose their heat and taste. So you have to use the hotter ones sooner than the green ones. Rule of thumb: since we're always at the store it pays to buy only what you're going to make for your batch. Leave then on out of the refrigerator where you can always see them. All your chiles lose some heat when you put them in the fridge.

Fresh Green New Mexico Chiles GNMC are about 8" long - you'll need 6-8 of them. They also come in dfferent heats: mild, hot and extra hot.

1. Put 2 Tbs of oil in your favorite frying pan at medium heat
2. Toast 6-8 GNMC pods. Pressing down on them with a damp cloth as you turn them to reach a darker green. They will develop black/grey spots.
3. As they soften wrap the chiles in a damp towel for about 10-15 minutes. After they cool their skins should peel right off with no problem.
4. Peel off skins; discard stems and skins

Now you can make tacos with cooked corn tortillas, philadelphia cream cheese and toasted GNMC. Heat your tortillas and spread so cream cheese on them. Lay 1/2 a GNMC across the middle; add a little sale, roll up and eat like a buritto - enjoy...

Three different Fresh Green chile (FGC) salsa

1. put a few Tbs cooking oil in your favorite frying pan at medium heat. Toast 6-8 fresh green New Mexico chilis (GNMC) and follow the four steps above.
2. Toast 10-12 fresh green jalepeno chils (GJC) - you don't need to peel the skins off after you toast them. These go from the frying pan to the blender.
3. toast 10-12 fresh green serrano chiles (GSC) - they are hotter than Jalaepnos and you don't need to peel them after you taost them either.

1. Put toasted chiles in a blender with 1 small toasted clove of choppe garlic and a toasted 1/4 cup of chopped onions ( you don't have to toast the garlic and onion but your chile will taste better if you do)
2. Put chiles, garlic, and onion into your blender (seeds ok) add 2 cups water plus 6-10 oz of stewed tomatoes;
3. add 1 Tbs of salt; 1 Tbs of cumin; 1 Tbs of oregano; and 1/3 cup of fresh cilantro
4. Chop all ingredients together in a blender, turning the blender on and off as many times until you reach the thickness you want. Sometimes you may want big chunks of chile and sometimes more blended.
5. Alwasy taste the chile while it's in the blender and add more seasonings to suit your taste if needed. Sometimes the bigger GJC and the GSC are too watered down so pick the smaller size chilies for a better taste
6. Put your chili in a bowl, garnish with a little fresh cilantro and you're done.
7. You can leave it out on the counter for about a day, use what you need for your meal or a dip with chips and keep the rest in the fridge.

Grajeda's Chile Colorado

Chile Colorado: have a batch of Red New Mexico Chile Sauce RNMCS already made and ready to use. (See previous blog entry) You are going to use about a cup of RNMCS per person.

Chili Colorado is made with lean beef, round steak, top sirloin, or london broil

1. Cut your meat in small cubes to your liking - about 1/2 lb per person
2. Fry your meat in your favorite frying pan in 1/3 cup cooking oil. Season your meat with your favorite spices. Fry until done and strain all grease from the meat
3. Heat meat again at medium heat while adding red chile sauce
4. Simmer at lowest heat for 20-30 minutes; checking and stirring occasionally - make sure sauce doesn't burn or stick to the bottom of pan
5. Tast the meat for tenderness - simmer longer for more tenderness.

Serve with beans and rice.

Try putting a little grated parmesan cheese over some heated red chile sauce, over a couple of over easy eggs for breakfast, with beans, papas & corn tortillas! Yummmm

Grajeda's Red Chile Recipe

Red dried Japanese chile Salsa (JC) or Chile de Arbot Salsa (CA)

Dried red JC or CA chile pods are about 2 - 3 inches long: 12 pods per blender batch of chile

1. Put 2 Tbs oil in your favorite frying pan at medium heat
2. Toast 12 pods of JC or CA until almost black with 1 small clove of chopped garlic and 1/4 cup of chopped onions.
3. separate stems from chiles as you put the chiles, garlic and onion into the blender - seeds are ok; add 2 cups water, plus one 6 oz can tomato sauce
4. Add 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp oregano and 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
5. blend all ingredients together at liquid speed for a few minutes, adding more water if needed and blend again
6. make the thickness of the sauce to your liking. It will thicken a little after setting
7. You can leave in out on the counter for about a day and use what you need for your meal or a dip with chips and keep the rest in the fridge.

Grajeda's New Mexico Red Chile Enchilada Sauce

Dried Red New Mexico chile (NMC) pods are about 8 inches long. They come in different heats: mild, hot and extra hot and you'll need about 8-12 pods per blender batch of chile.

1. Put 2 Tbs oil in your favorite frying pan at medium heat
2. Toast 8-12 chile pods until amost black with 1 big clove chopped garlic and 1/2 a chopped onion
3. Add water and boil all ingredients in a pan for about 10-15 minutes until pods are very soft
4. Let chile and water cool until safe to handle
5. Separate stems from chiles as you put chiles into a blender - seeds are ok; fill blender 3/4 of the way full with NMC, garlic and onions that are cooled plus 1 6oz can of tomato sauce
6. Add1 Tbs salt, 1 Tbs sugar, 1 Tbs cumin and 1 Tbs oregano
7. Add water from the pan to 3/4 of the way full also
8. Blend all ingredients together at liquid speed for a few minutes. Add more water from the pan if needed and blend again
9. Make the thickness of the sauce to your liking and remember that the NMC will thicken a little as you put it back into the empty pan you boiled the chiles in. Cook the chile at a low heat for another 30 minutes and you are done
10. Use what you need for your meal and keep the rest in your fridge.