Green Chile Queso Blanco

32 ounces white american cheese, cubed (get this at the deli counter)
8 oz shredded monterrey jack
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup diced green chiles (I used a cup becauce I’m nuts for green chiles)
1/2 finely diced onion
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or to taste)

Saute diced onion until soft and browned a bit.  Add remaining ingredients and cook over low heat until cheese is melty and you see the face of the Virgin Mary when tasting it.

Add more heavy cream if needed to thin it out a bit.

If you don’t have green chiles you can substitute Rotel tomatoes for the diced tomatoes and add some chopped jalapenos (saute with the onion).  Use whatcha got baby!  That’s what my Mama told me

Stuffed Pattypan Squash

Today, I had some beautiful pattypan squash which I’ve never cooked with before, and after surfing the web a bit, I created my own recipe:

4-6 large pattypan squash
1 pound hamburger
one onion, diced
salt & pepper to taste
garlic powder (optional)
1/2 cup green chili, fall roast
2 slices parmesan pepper bread, diced small
3 slices bacon, cut into lardons and slowly cooked in skillet over low heat
1/3 cup shredded parmesan
Slowly brown hamburger until done, salt and pepper the onion and add to the skillet. Cook until onion is throughly cooked, and turn off heat. Add bread cubes, green chile, and season to taste. Set aside and cook squash.
Wash squash, and place in a large cooking pot, add three inches of water, cover, and cook on medium heat until squash are fork tender. (10-15 minutes) Remove from water, and place in a baking dish. With a paring knife, cut out inside the “crown” of the top of the squash, remove the top and scoop out the seeds. Fill squash with stuffing, top with parmesan cheese and bacon. Bake at 350 until cheese melts. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Lovely!

Meatloaf with Green Chile

Heat a large saute pan, then add:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 bell pepper, finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Cook until onion is clear, about 5 minutes. Cool.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together :

2 eggs
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley (optional)

Add:
1 pound ground pork
1 pound ground lean beef
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1/2 cup Parmesan
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup
Cooled vegetables
1/2 cup of diced roasted peeled green chilies (I usually double this, depending on the heat of the chilies)

Mix until combined. Mold in a parchment paper or aluminum foil lined baking sheet or in a loaf pan.

Whisk together:

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

Brush this mixture over the entire loaf. Bake for 1-1 1/4 hours. Remove from the oven and let the meatloaf rest before slicing.

Posole

I made this for Mitchell while he was home last week – he loved it and asked for me to post the recipe.  So here it is   Posole is SO cussing delicious.  And it’s very forgiving.  Feel free to make substitutions or throw some other things in (black beans or some sweet corn would be yummy).

Red chile sauce:
1 1/2 cups boiling-hot water
1/4 large white onion
about 5 ounces (around 8 dried chiles), ancho, or guajillo, or new mexico red chiles
2 cloves garlic (from whole head; the rest will go into the posole)

Posole:
1 large head garlic
2 quarts chicken broth, beef broth, or water
3-4 pounds pork shoulder or butt roast, fat trimmed, and cut into chunks
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
Prepared Red chile sauce, or substitute 2-3 cans of red enchilada sauce
2 can green chiles (optional); or substitute Hatch chiles or roasted anaheim chiles)
3 teaspoons salt
2 30-ounce cans hominy, drained, or dried hominy that has been soaked overnight
1 can Rotel tomatoes (optional)

Soak dried hominy, unless you are using canned hominy (dried is better though!):
The day/night before you plan on making posole, start soaking the dried hominy in water.  You will need to use ALOT of water as the posole will soak it up and swell up big.  That’s what she said.  Generally I add enough water to the container with the posole in it so that the posole takes up 1/3 and water 2/3 of the total level…

Red chile sauce instructions:
Tear the chiles apart by hand; remove and discard the seeds and and stems.  Place the chiles in a bowl and cover completely with boiling-hot water. Soak chiles, turning them occasionally, for 30 minutes. Cut onion into large pieces and in a blender purée with chiles and soaking liquid (do not drain the chiles before pureeing), 2 cloves of garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt until smooth. For a shortcut on the red chile – simply substitute 2-3 cans of red enchilada sauce.

Posole instructions:

Thinly slice remaining garlic. In a heavy skillet over high heat, preheat a couple of tablespoons of oil and brown the chunks of pork with sliced garlic. High heat results in nice crusty brown bits on the pork.  This is what you want. Remove from heat.

In a big soup pot – add chicken broth, pork, oregano, cumin, red chili sauce, green chilis (optional), salt, homony, and Rotel tomatoes (optional). Gently simmer the posole, uncovered, until tender, at least 1 1/2 hours.  Your cooking time will be longer if you started with dried hominy – taking at least an additional hour.  But this is not rocket science – simmer it until the hominy is tender and the house is fragrant with the wonderful spicy smell….and adjust seasonings to your own tastes.

Optional Accompaniments:
diced avocado
chopped white onion
cheese
sour cream
tortilla chips or strips

Corn Pudding

This corn pudding is wonderfully creamy and rich, and especially good with a holiday meal. Of course, it may also
be prepared during the summer when fresh corn is readily available. We especially like it in the fall when Hatch chiles are available, when we add chopped roasted green chili to it. Best corn pudding I’ve ever had.

1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
6 large eggs
2 cups cream
1 stick of butter, melted
6 cups of fresh corn (you can substitute frozen)

Combine the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk, then stir in the cream and melted butter. Gradually add the sugar, stirring until smooth. Stir in the corn and pour into a greased 13×9 baking dish. Bake at 350 or until deep golden and set. Let stand 5 minutes before stirring.

I like to add green chile to this dish (of course!).

Chile Relleno

8 long green chiles, roasted and peeled, preferably Hatch but fresh chiles from *anywhere* are good
8 sticks of string cheese
1 cup flour
6 eggs
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup oil
12″ iron skillet

Stuff the chiles with cheese, being careful to seal the cheese with the skin of the pepper. Place 1/2 of the flour in a large plate. Put the chiles on top, and sprinkle the rest of the flour on top. Pat the flour in. Place oil in skillet and turn heat to medium high.

Separate the eggs. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Beat the egg yolks with the salt, then fold slowly into the egg whites.

Heat the cast iron skillet until the oil begins to roll (not smoke!). Dip floured chiles into the egg batter and fry until golden brown, turning once. (I like to cook two at a time). Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.

Enjoy!

Southwestern Squash Casserole

When summer squash is in season, we love to eat this squash casserole. It contains the magic of green chiles, onions, and the bite of parmesan cheese. Not your typical runny squash casserole, it works if you are on a low carb diet.

1 1/2 pounds yellow squash, sliced thin
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup roasted green chile or four ounce can green chilies
2 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 cup cottage cheese
1 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated parmesan

Saute together squash and onion in butter in skillet until tender crisp. Add chilies, flour, salt and pepper and mix well. Pour into greased 2 quart baking dish or 9×12 baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Combine egg, cottage cheese & parsley. Pour over squash mixture. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Yields 8 servings.

Avocado Salsa

This recipe was developed because all the ingredients were sitting on my kitchen counter. We love this salsa with breakfast, and it’s a flavorful way to get your vegetables with the first meal of the day. It’s especially good to give flavor and texture to accompany things that tend to be a bit on the bland or textureless side.
It doesn’t carry over well so you need to eat it pretty soon after making it, no problem at my house

2 ripe avocados
1 Tablespoon lemon juice (or lime)
3 Roma tomatoes, diced (if using other type of tomatoes, drain off excess juice)
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
Chopped cilantro to taste
1 medium hot fresh jalapeno, diced (or roasted green chili)
salt & pepper
olive oil

Halve the avocados, remove the seeds and remove the peel. Finely dice the avocado and sprinkle on lemon juice to prevent it from darkening. Add the diced tomato, onion, cilantro and jalapeno and gently toss together. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired. Drizzle olive oil over top.

We love this salsa with grits, eggs, tamale pie, and on on a tostada. Serves 2 at my house. If you don’t have fresh peppers, canned jalapenos are good, too. Frozen Albuquerque Tortilla Company Autumn Roast chiles are also heavenly.

Green Chile Chipotle Rice

While this is not really a Mexican influenced dish, I like to serve it with enchiladas. The green chile and peppers bring the heat and flavor of New Mexico to it, and I will probably continue to tinker with it. I think I’m going to try sprinkling some chili powder on top of the cheese next time, can’t wait to see what that does.

1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups chicken broth, unsalted
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)

Cook rice in broth for 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff with a fork. Stir in:

1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup roasted green chile
2 chopped chipotle peppers

Place in oven proof glass casserole dish (1.5 to 2 quart) Top with

1 -2 cups Fiesta grated cheese (Mexican blend)

Bake at 325 for 20 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Serve with enchiladas and beans, or any other main dish.

What in the world should I cook tonight?

I picked up my annual 40 lbs. of Hatch Green Chiles yesterday.  Hot, not mild,  por supuesto.  THANK GOD!  I ran out about a month ago, it was a very sad day.  Took them home and froze them with loving care, we’ll be enjoying these all year.  Por supresto I had to make something with Hatch Green Chiles last night (and today).  Last night I made Green Chile Cheeseburgers.  Today I decided to redefine the leftover burgers I had, and made Green Chile Chili (no, it’s not redundant). 

These recipes are also pantry recipes – where I go shopping in my own pantry, figure out what I have and how I can creatively use the stuff I’ve already paid for or cooked.   I am great at this, but it’s only because I’ve learned from the master, Sue.  Sue can redefine rice, or anthing else, at least 50 different ways in the flash of an eye!  In these times it’s a great skill to have.   

There are those that shun canned ingredients, but I think having them on hand is not only smart but economical.  One of my favorite ham salad recipes from Sue uses Spam!  Damn!  Really – I made  it for my boys one night.  Por supuesto I did not tell them what it was – and they loved it.  It just goes to show that deception, when it comes to cooking and children, es algo muy bueno.

Produce is OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive and sometimes you just don’t feel like grocery shopping, yo.  Do yourself a favor and keep  your essential items in the pantry or the freezer.  Blue and Sue are known for browsing the grocery aisles at Big Lots for the latest marked down gourmet items (they are there, people, get in the car and GO!!).  Now, on to the recipes.

Green Chile Burgers

Green Chile Chili