Essential green chile sauce

Sorry this is late but we just got back from southern California where we ate way too much Mex but almost all of it was oooo-sooo good! Met Lindsay and Jen at the Local in SD and enjoyed lobster tacos among other things. Also had lunch at http://www.georgesatthecove.com/ocean-terrace where Jody scored seared fish tacos with mango salsa and a jalepeno creme fraiche with guac and shredded cabbage. All this on cilantro-infused corn tortillas. Died and gone to heaven!

This sauce is a staple of many Mexican dishes and can be used on enchilada-style burritos as well as tasty enchiladas. The key to this sauce is to make it early, stew it for 2-3 hours, and add water periodically to bring back the volume. Here's what you'll need;

4-4oz cans of diced green chiles
Coarse chopped onion to fill one of those cans
2 bulbs coarse chopped garlic
2-3 same cans water
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 bay leaf
Some heat. (We used to use jalepenos because they were hot but these days they seem mild. I now use either cayenne pepper or chalula sauce. Anything that is not vinegar based like tobasco.)
Teaspoon of salt.
A dab of olive oil.

Place all BUT the bay leaf in a blender and puree 3-5 minutes. Move to a sauce pan, add the bay leaf, and cook over low heat for 2-3 hours, adding water to keep a sauce-like consistency.

To make the burritos you'll need flour tortillas, boneless chicken breast, chicken stock, and cheddar+monterrey jack cheese.

To make a burrito, take about 12-14 ounces of chicken stock in a pan. Add finely chopped garlic (note here; we used to make garlic puree with 8-10 bulbs in a blender with a couple of laps of olive oil, puree to a paste that drips just a bit. This will keep for quite some time in the fridge and when you need a blast, grab a teaspoon or to and add it to your favorite recipe. Johnny Demarkis will attest to JP's garlic butter on the back shelf of the stove, a true staple.)

So dice up about a 1/2 pound of boneless chicken per diner, add to the chicken stock with a pinch of oregano, time, and a little bay leaf. Cook really slow (we used a double boiler) until chicken is white outside but a bit pink inside.

On an oven-proof plate, lie a flour tortilla. Add the chicken for a row about 2 inches wide. Throw on some shredded cheddar, and roll burrito over to a uniform size.

Spoon green sauce down the middle and puddle to one side. Next lay a slab of monterrey jack over the burrito and bake for about 15 minutes. Use oven mitt to remove and warn your guests that the plates ARE HOT!!!

Serve with rice and beans plus ice cold margarita or sangria.

Next up, chile rellanos per my brothers request, plus some photos and video.

Enjoy!!

Jeff's Digital Recipe Box

So over the years I've had many requests for the original Edgewater Cafe mexican recipes. I still have them, complete with dried, spilled sauce droplets. I have decided to start this blog and once every week or so offer these recipes along with some of the many favorites we've tried to cook at home.

You won't need any special tools other than a blender. You will need a couple of the staples of mexican recipes: powdered cumin or cumino, coriander, chile powder, crushed red pepper, and fresh cilantro from time to time. I'm going to start with fresh salsa so you will need cilantro (sometimes called chinese parsley) which you can get in any produce section.

I'm going to add photos soon but for now we'll have to do without.

This will make a nice appetizer for 6-8 people max.

Salsa Picante

Combine the following and fold together with a large spoon.

Core and dice about 1.5 cups of fresh tomatoes and put them in a bowl
Peel and dice half a good size spanish/white onion, add to the tomatoes
Remove most of the green ends of 2 scallions, slice the rest on a bias, minus the roots of course
2 cans mild diced green chiles
Finely chopped bulb of fresh garlic
One tablespoon cumin
One teaspoon coriander
One tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 solid tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1-2 teaspoons pureed jalapenos (bug juice, recipe below)
Salt to taste
1/2 cup tomato juice

Fold all together EXCEPT the tomato juice. Once mixed, slowly add the t.j. to your desired consistency.

Bug juice: in a small blender add water to cover 3-4 jalapenos and mix until pureed.

Now the fun starts! You have the base, from there you can add things like sliced black olives, drained, canned black beans, grilled or frozen corn, or substitute red onions. Or skip the tomatoes and juice and substitute diced mangos for a great addition to grilled salmon.

You can make your own chips by doing an 8 way slice to packaged corn tortillas and then frying in vegetable oil about 1 inch deep but there are great chips on the market that make this too much of a pain.

Next; chicken burritos with green sauce and monterey jack cheese.

Enjoy!!