you spice up my life
Recipe: green chile mayonnaise
I hope everyone had a nice weekend observing or not observing various holidays. April can’t make up her mind (she is quite the fickle pickle when it comes to weather) and so we have had sun, rain, lightning, snow, and grauple over the weekend, but NO WINDS(!!) and so I am pleased as punch. Sunday morning we took Kaweah for a much needed hike and noted the snow conditions. I really don’t foresee anymore piste skiing unless we get a nice dump of powder. Our local hill closed this weekend and several of the big mountains close next weekend (good-bye Breckenridge, good-bye Vail, good-bye Mary Jane – see you next year), however there is always A-basin whose season runs phenomenally late into June – sometimes July. Get your rock skis out, kids. I wouldn’t want to take the East Wall on my powder skis in May. Well, my would-be rock skis were in really good shape and now belong to Diane.
dude, where’s my snow?
old flowers soon to be replaced by new flowers
In the afternoon, we met with Katie in Boulder for a pleasant lunch before she headed back home to Utah. What a cutie. My intentions to run some errands in town were thwarted by the Easter holiday (many places were closed) and apparently the butchers at Safeway are completely unaware of the difference between English-style and flanken-style short ribs. I had to draw a diagram to show them how to cut the ribs. WTF?!
So I had mentioned a New Magic Awesome Sauce (NMAS) last week and today I deliver on the promised awesomeness. I try not to defrost and refreeze foods too many times as it tends to compromise the quality. Since I had defrosted roasted New Mexican green chiles to make the roasted potato salad and the goat cheese croquettes, I went ahead and skinned and de-seeded the entire batch of roasted green chiles and sought out recipes to use them in. No cuisine knows how to use green chiles better than New Mexican cuisine.
green chiles, roasted garlic, lime juice, and mayonnaise
purée the chiles, garlic, and some lime juice
Unless you have an in with a resident of New Mexico, it is hard to get your hands on the real deal. I know, I know – people in California and Colorado say they have had roasted green chiles. Those are probably poblanos or anaheims or some other variety of chili pepper. Walking around the farmer’s market and seeing the chilis roasting in the drums, I’ve often said, “Hey – they’re roasting green chiles!” and Jeremy will scrutinize and correct, “Those aren’t New Mexico green chiles.” What he means is that they aren’t Hatch green chiles, which are the green chiles of choice. You see, New Mexicans are very particular about their green chile and having had the real deal, I can vouch for them. Canned green chiles are about as good as mushy rice – don’t even bother. Well, I went in search of an online source for green chiles (frozen roasted is probably best as the fresh need to be roasted pronto and you’ll likely end up freezing them yourself anyway) and found a place right in Hatch, New Mexico. Try The Hatch Chile Store for mail order. They aren’t paying me, I just hate to offer up a recipe around an ingredient that is not easy to get your hands on.
mix the purée into the mayonnaise
add more lime juice to taste
There are two piles of green chiles after I skin and de-seed them: intact and shredded. The larger intact chiles are reserved for chile rellenos. The shredded chiles get diced up or used in recipes like this NMAS. And then some of the shredded chiles are saved for…
green chile cheeseburgers
[i’ve told you before that we grill in any weather]
My curiosity was piqued when I found this green chile mayonnaise recipe in the Border Cookbook (a really damn good cookbook if you love New Mexican food, which all sane people do). We topped the burgers with the NMAS and it added a terrific tangy, spicy, creamy flavor – along with that lovely mellow roasted garlic. Even Jeremy, a card-carrying mayonnaise-hater, liked the green chile mayonnaise. Score!
no more boring burgers
But the madness did not end there. I spread the NMAS on sandwiches too. My regular readers know what a sandwich whore I am. I love sandwiches. From the moment I first tasted the green chile mayonnaise, I began to ponder all of the glorious possibilities… chicken sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, tuna salad sandwiches, roast beast, turkey, grilled eggplant – endless possibilities. The beauty of sandwiches. For lunch the other day, I whipped up some turkey sandwiches with jack cheese, bacon (now we’re getting serious – spineless jellyfish must leave the room), lettuce, tomatoes, and the NMAS (that’s New Magic Awesome Sauce in case you have forgotten). It’s good stuff. Go make some.
naughty
*squeal!!!!*
Green Chile Mayonnaise
[print recipe]
from The Border Cookbook
1/4 cup roasted green chile, skinned and de-seeded
3 cloves garlic, roasted and peeled
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 cup mayonnaise (make your own from scratch and get double points!)
In a food processor, pulse together the chiles, garlic, and half of the lime juice. Mix the purée into the mayonnaise until well blended. Add more lime juice to taste. Refrigerate for an hour. Will store for up to 1 week. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.
April 13th, 2009 at 2:36 am
oh my gosh. that green chile mayonnaise sounds so great; i think the green chile would make any mayonnaise hater into a mayonnaise accepter. :)
April 13th, 2009 at 4:03 am
look at THAT! I’m so far away from New Mexico! To order those chilies must cost me an arm or a leg, if not both! I can only watch and drool!
April 13th, 2009 at 5:07 am
These burgers and sandwiches look incredibly scrumptious! A great mayonnaise sauce…
Cheers,
Rosa
April 13th, 2009 at 5:41 am
We’re planning a trip to CO and NM in may and you are making my mouth water in anticipation of the chiles! I know what you mean about the weather out there in the April. My parents, who live outside of Buena Vista, are escaping this week. My Mom’s biggest complaint is that it has been too cloudy, I tell her she is spoiled by the CO sun!
April 13th, 2009 at 5:59 am
I’m not even a huge mayo fan (give me mustard any time of day though), and that NMAS does sound pretty darned magical and awesome. Hmm… yeah, I’m thinking any “green chiles” I find in Wisconsin won’t be the right ones though – could you imagine how white bread Wisconsinites would react to real New Mexican cuisine? Yikes! Maybe it’s my job to enlighten them though…
April 13th, 2009 at 6:12 am
You know, I hate straight up mayo… but mixing good stuff in it (mm… like chilis!) makes it divine!
April 13th, 2009 at 7:49 am
Yum om om yum! We grill in any weather too, though we don’t get the weather that you have :)
Looks like a delicious grilling success!
April 13th, 2009 at 7:55 am
My mouth is watering right now…love me some Hatch green chiles!
April 13th, 2009 at 7:55 am
That looks delightful. Perhaps this mayo will win over my non-mayo loving friends. Although you can’t say you don’t like mayo if you’ve never had real homemade mayo!
April 13th, 2009 at 8:06 am
I’m going to pretend the title is a Spice Girls reference, because that is secretly awesome. Kidding! I’m not too big on mayonnaise (probably not a hater like Jeremy is) but I tend to lighten up when it’s home-made (hence tangier, usually) or spiked with something sweet (honey) or spicy. And among these, spicy tops the list :) Too bad it’ll be *another* long while before I get my hands on non-canned green chiles, though.
And yay for those of us who grill all year round! ;)
April 13th, 2009 at 8:06 am
Mmm. That looks great. Thank you for posting the online link. I could never find those around here!
April 13th, 2009 at 8:09 am
Uh oh, I can’t show this to my husband. Yesterday we were talking about visiting my family in Albuquerque, and he was hungry and decided that he wants to eat green chile every day next time we visit. Then it turned into Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., but for green chile – “huevos rancheros…and chile rellenos…enchiladas…”
505chile.com is probably a good source for chile too. I’ve never ordered it myself, but I’ve eaten at their restaurant, which is good. I’ve also bought jars of their green chile sauce, and now I base my recipe on theirs.
April 13th, 2009 at 9:06 am
Man I want some hatch green chilies. I used to love when they would make it to the Central Market in Ft. Worth during undergrad. Drool.
April 13th, 2009 at 9:33 am
Mummmmm…. that looks delish. I will have to try this recipe sometime soon!
April 13th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
aughhh. Sandwich, want. Burgers, also want. (Apparently they also reduce me to incoherent groaning.)
April 13th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
i am going to make some…this looks fantastic! i love green chile cheeseburgers AND with the mayo…seriously might start to drool. YUM!
April 13th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
YUM!! That looks awesome!! When you wrote “chile[s] rellenos”, I was reminded of the first time I made that dish for my girlfriend. I didn’t like the stuff at all, but she loved it. I think I only like chiles verdes when they are minced or purΓ©ed because they are less prominent. With chiles rellenos (both noun and adjective should be plural), you can’t avoid tasting the chiles, even with the presence of the egg batter and the filling.
April 13th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Love the photo of Jeremy (?) grilling in his fleece backdropped by snow! My husband’s family is fr Colorado and that’ so typical … :).
April 13th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
I just made my own mayonnaise for the first time a bit over a week ago and was SO happy with it. The possibilities are endless. Thanks for the link to the chiles.
“I had to draw a diagram to show them how to cut the ribs. WTF?!”
WTF is right. WTF??
April 13th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
that sammich looks too good to be true. almost as good as the “damn good sandwich”!
totally off topic but did you know that toffee is one of the only things that’s better when made in high altitude areas? apparently colorado is where some of the best toffee comes from. i had no idea. just thought i’d share!
April 13th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Wow–how fancy & delicious!
April 13th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Gosh! It’s a good thing I just finished my lunch. Those burgers looks mighty tempting *drool*
I want one!
April 13th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
I would agree — the only good green chile is a Hatch green chile, and the only good Mexican food is from northern New Mexico. But then I was born in Santa Fe, so I’m probably biased. The mayonnaise sounds wonderful.
April 14th, 2009 at 12:05 am
those burgers looks so good.
just right!
thanks
April 14th, 2009 at 5:34 am
If ONLY hubby would eat mayonnaise…. that is the one thing he won’t eat (well, he is anti-beets too). I am wondering now if I could do an adaptation using yogurt, or maybe a mix of yogurt, creme fraiche….
this green chile concoction is making my mouth water…..
April 14th, 2009 at 8:28 am
I’m with you on the “awesomeness” of the true New Mexico green chiles. My friend is from NM and her mom sends her gallon bags of roasted chiles every year. I must not be a very good friend, because I’m LUCKY if I score three or four (chiles, not bags). But oh, the chip dips and sauces you can make with those chiles… sigh. I may have to break down and order my own or send her mom money and beg her to cut me in! Thanks for the reminder/inspiration Jen, your mayonnaise sounds fabulous!
April 14th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
That’s a sammich that would make me sqeeee too! I actually roasted a chicken the other day just because I had some yummy fresh sourdough and wanted a roast chicken, brie, mango chutney, lettuce and tomato sandwich. RCBMCLT? This sauce would have been amazing… and your pictures made me crave a great grilled burger. A plan for this weekend is forming in my little noggin…
Love the Miss K pic!
April 14th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
You had me at green chile. But then you said bacon. And burger. And a few other things that blurred through the drool on my screen. You are the best kind of evil.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Pearl – it totally transforms the mayo into something really awesome.
Mrs E – well someday when you come to the US, hopefully you’ll swing through New Mexico and try some green chiles.
Rosa – :)
Andrea – yup, there is quite a bit of sun here to distract us from “winter” :)
Caitlin – ha ha! You’re a good girl to bear that burden!
Macie – I feel similarly :)
RecipeGirl – mmmm! It was indeed! Thanks.
Lezel – it took me a while to get used to it, but… I like green chiles too.
Chiot’s Run – true true. Homemade is otherworldly.
Mark – yes, the spicy and tangy really makes the mayo into a non-mayo and more of a… magic sauce :)
Phoo-D – they’re not easy to get if you don’t have a connection.
Bridget – ha ha! Poor guy. You should fill your freezer full of green chiles. Thanks for the rec. Sounds like you found a good and reliable source.
Whitney – well, we only have 5 more months until the harvest :)
Christina – awesome!
Steph – ha ha ha ;)
Cindy – I thought it might be overkill with green chile AND the sauce, but they were quite compatible.
Memoria – should or not, New Mexicans don’t spell it chiles rellenos, they spell it chile rellenos.
Pat – good to know we aren’t the only grilling enthusiasts in winter :)
Melissa – I saw your post! I didn’t know the oil made such a difference (thanks for the tip!). About the ribs… I know!! what is up with that?!
Minh – yes, it’s on par with the DGS :) I did not know. Especially since I burned a batch of toffee that I tried to make up here ;) ha ha! Oh boy, I’d better get it right, eh?
Asianmommy – not so fancy, but definitely delish :)
SimplePleasure – probably best that I could only eat one.
Judy – I have to agree with you… and I was born in Virginia.
Recipe man – thank you!
Sally – I’m sure something creamy would work well. The mayo just ads some tang, but you can cover that with more lime juice.
Bri – yum! You should totally contact her mom ;)
Mollie – that sandwich sounds amazing, hon. Hope your weather is ripe for burgers! We’re due for more snow.
Chocolate and Toast – awww, that’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever said who called me evil :)
April 16th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
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April 18th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
I love that you grill in any weather! And those old flowers are keepers!
April 19th, 2009 at 7:50 am
I make a simple chipotle mayo that I like and a green chili mayo sounds really good!
April 21st, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Shari – awww, thanks!
Kevin – if you can get your hands on them, they’re fantastic!
April 22nd, 2009 at 9:20 pm
Jen, what kind of cheese is that on the burger?
April 25th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
Jamie – Jack cheese :) But cheddar is good too. Actually, I prefer pepper Jack to Jack cheese.
April 26th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Well, I just made the green chili mayo for my family’s gourmet hamburger birthday celebration last night… many people came to me and commented on how much they LOVED it and how the mayo really was different and enhanced the flavor of their burger… we ended up having a variety of cheeses and the combo of melted blue cheese was the winner matching the green chili mayo… go figure.
I did cheat a bit with the mayo, I used canned fire roasted chopped green chilis, much quicker and likely just as good as roasted them over the flame yourself. the only issue with that is that the sauce was much thinner and I kept having to add more mayo and not more lime juice… My husband suggusted that we had minced cilantro to the mixture, which sounded like a good idea, and would make it greener, but we were out of time and didn’t wanna make the walk to the garden. With the leftovers however, we will add cilantro and try it and maybe put it on tacos?
Thanks Jen for another great recipe!
April 28th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Jamie – I think there is much flexibility to this recipe as you’ve discovered. So glad it was a hit! I could eat beer-battered fish with that mayo :)