Right about now, she is gallivanting around northern New Mexico with her folks, who are out in Jicarilla Apache lands teaching school for a semester.
I myself have not been back to the Land of Enchantment since grad school. But if and when I go, I can pretty much guarantee that I'll spend the whole time in restaurants... green and red chile at every meal... breakfast, lunch, and dinner... No exceptions.
Not K. Every time that I call, they are in the midst of preparing pasta alla puttanesca or risotto alla milanese or some other dish straight out of the Mediterranean.
Not Italian??? Come on.
So to make up for the lack of chile consumption out west, I decided to make a batch of enchiladas here in the east. I make an attempt at New Mexico style red pod chile every once in a while, but still don't have a perfect technique. Here's the latest try.
New Mexico Style Red Chile Sauce
-12 New Mexico Red Chile Pods (or other pods depending on
accessibility)
-36 oz. water or chicken stock
-½ tsp. salt
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-½ tsp. oregano
-2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
-2 Tbsp. unbleached flour
Roast pods in 200 degree oven for 5 minutes or until
fragrant; Remove stems and seeds from chile pods. Rinse; Place chile pods in a
saucepan and pour water to cover pods. Bring to a boil. Cover. Simmer over low
heat 20 minutes. Drain and discard water; Place pods in a food processor or
blender with ¼ - ½ of the chicken stock. Add salt, garlic and oregano. Process
or blend pods until smooth; In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add
flour and stir until golden brown, making a roux. Remove from heat; Add blended
chile to roux and stir until any lumps dissolve; Return to heat and slowly
combine the rest of the stock with chile to achieve a tomato sauce consistency;
Simmer 10 minutes. Makes approximately 20 oz.
Option: Add more water and/or low sodium broth for thinner
consistency. For thicker sauce use 24 to 30 oz. of stock instead of 36 oz.