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.