Thursday, September 25, 2014

Quick Recipe: Hatch Green Chile Sauce

I have said this a lot, but barbecue people are some of the best people in the world.

Case in point, my fellow Egghead, Kirk Muncrief sent me a selection of his Albukirky Seasonings a while back.  He has a product line of sauces and seasonings that are pretty unique because of their Southwestern flare.  I've used them for years, the Green Chile Rub is a personal favorite and I used his Duke City Sweet in my brisket mop. To thank him, I did a series of product shots.  



Well, to thank me for that, Kirk must have remembered me saying how envious I was of his region and their Hatch chiles.  He sent me a large batch of fire roasted Hatch chiles.  It reminds me of the Alvin and the Chipmunks bit where they keep thanking each other ("Thank you", "No, thank you", "No, thank YOU!").

Anyway I was super excited to get these fragrant Big Jim chiles and the first thing I did was pull out my copy of Bill and Cheryl Jamison's book Tasting New Mexico.  You probably know of the Jamison's for their classic BBQ book Smoke and Spice.  Tasting New Mexico is a celebration of the foods from their home state and heavily relies on the fruit of New Mexico - chiles.  I planned to use a green chile sauce as an ingredient and condiment for several dishes so that was the first thing I made.


As written, this is a very mild green sauce.  If you want hot, double the Casa Seasoning and just leave the seeds in.  I did this with our first batch and it was way hotter than I expected. 

Hatch Green Chile Sauce
adapted from Tasting New Mexico - Bill & Cheryl Jamison 

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup diced sweet onion
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1 1/2 cup seeded and diced fire roasted Hatch green chiles
  • 1/2 teaspoon Albukirky Casa Seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 ounce all purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat a medium sauce pan over medium high heat.  
  2. Add the butter and saute the onions for 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in the chiles,  Albukirky Casa Seasoning, cumin, and flour.  Stir for 1-2 minutes.
  4. Whisk in the chicken stock, bring to a slight boil, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
  5. Use an immersion blender or food processor to smooth out the sauce to your desired texture. 
  6. Simmer for 10 more minutes.  Taste and season with salt.  We used somewhere around 1/2 teaspoon, it didn't need much since there is already salt in Casa Seasoning.
Got everything ready to take outside.



We were having absolutely gorgeous early Fall weather with mild temps and brilliant blue skies so I cooked this batch outside on my Char-Broil TRU-Infrared Gourmet's side burner.  


 The smell that the chiles kick out when they hit the pan with the cumin is intoxicating.


AlbuKirky's Casa Seasoning is coarse sea salt, black pepper, garlic, and some other seasonings.  It's a wonderful all-purpose seasoning that I like to use when I'm just throwing chicken or beef on the grill.  It also works well as a base coat rub for pork ribs.  If you don't have it, you can substitute a garlic pepper seasoning or a house blend of salt, garlic, and pepper.


You can skip the stick blender if you like a more rustic sauce.  We did our first batch that way and it tasted just as good.  I just like the smoother texture.


This Hatch Green Chile Sauce is good on it's own as a condiment for pizza, burgers, and eggs.  But it is also a fantastic ingredient in marinades, TexMex foods, and soups.  This afternoon I think I'll use some to marinade some wings for the grill, just add some lime juice, red pepper flakes, and cilantro.

Coming up next I'll post about the fire roasted pork and green chile enchiladas we made twice last week using this sauce. 

[FTC Standard Disclaimer]  I received no compensation for this post.  While Kirk does give us rub and gave us the chiles, we also buy from him and I have known him since before he began selling his stuff. We are more Egghead and food blogging peers than this being any kind of a business relationship or sponsorship. 

Oh yeah, I also paid full Amazon price for Tasting New Mexico.