This is my take on the famous New Mexican Green sauce. If you find Hatch chilies, snap them up to use for this recipe. In the meantime, use New Mexico chiles, and if you can’t find those, use Anaheim peppers. The poblano peppers give the sauce a mild heat.
INGREDIENTS:
5 New Mexico peppers or Anaheims 3 Poblano peppers ½ large yellow onion, sliced through the equator 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled 3-4 tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper to taste 1 teaspoon each cumin and coriander, ground finely
METHOD:
Heat a grill very hot.
Lightly oil the peppers and garlic cloves.
Toss them on the grill along with half onion, cut side down.
Grill the garlic 10 minutes or so until tender.
Grill the peppers until well blistered all over. When the peppers are well charred all over, put them into a bowl or plastic bag and seal. Keep covered until ready to use. To peel, use a knife to scrape the skin clean, and remove the seeds and ribs. Drop into a blender.
Grill the onion at the same time as the peppers until the cut side is blackened thoroughly. When charred, flip and cook the outside of the onion. Remove from the grill. When cool enough to handle without hurting yourself, peel the onion, chop it roughly, and add to the blender.
Peel the garlic and add to the blender.
Add the salt and pepper, spices, and half the oil. Puree on high for 2 minutes. Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed. Puree and add a little more oil if needed.
Chef’s Notes:
Use this sauce for stewing sautéed pork or chicken or use as a sauce for tacos, quesadillas, “Southwest Basted Eggs”, or “Scrambled Eggs with Tortilla Chips, Avocado, Cilantro, and …”, or just dip chips in it. If you feel like it, go ahead and add the stems from half a bunch of cilantro to the blender along with everything else to add the flavor of cilantro to the finished sauce. Using the stems helps keep the sauce from discoloring, as the leaves of cilantro tend to do.
Makes: A pint or more.
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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