Max's Red Chile
I love the warm flavor of a perfectly balanced red chile sauce. I think using whole chile pods (as opposed to chile powder) creates a superior chile. My husband, a native New Mexican, taught me his technique for creating the perfect red chile, and I adjusted the spices to my preference -- I like just a dash of honey to balance the potential bitterness of the red chile. This is the best red chile ever created by a gringo.
Create a big pot of this Southwestern goodness on a cold, quiet day at home, so you can savor the aroma as it simmers. Enjoy this slathered over eggs, in your favorite enchilada recipe, as a topping for posole, as a tortilla chip dip, or as the main ingredient of a fabulous Huevos Rancheros.
~2 pounds bone-in pork chops
6 onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
20 oz. (2 bags) of dried mild red chiles, stemmed and seeded (or 1 cup mild red chile powder)
6 cups homemade turkey stock (or commercial chicken stock)
1 T. honey
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. cumin
1 T. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
Grill salt-and-peppered pork chops. Remove meat from bones, dice and set aside. Re-grill bones and tie together in a bundle.
Sauté onions until browned and caramelized. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute.
Puree onions, garlic and red chile pods in a food processor or blender. Add chicken stock to make pureeing easier.
In a large pot, combine onion/chile puree, chicken stock, meat, honey, herbs, and grilled bone-bundle. Simmer about 3 hours, or until flavors have melded into a warm, perfectly balanced southwest nectar. Remove and discard bones. Adjust salt, pepper, and other spices to taste.
Note: Make sure you freeze plenty of this for easy southwestern dishes all year long. I think 2-cup quantities in a quart freezer bag is the perfect amount.
Create a big pot of this Southwestern goodness on a cold, quiet day at home, so you can savor the aroma as it simmers. Enjoy this slathered over eggs, in your favorite enchilada recipe, as a topping for posole, as a tortilla chip dip, or as the main ingredient of a fabulous Huevos Rancheros.
Max’s Red Chile
~2 pounds bone-in pork chops
6 onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
20 oz. (2 bags) of dried mild red chiles, stemmed and seeded (or 1 cup mild red chile powder)
6 cups homemade turkey stock (or commercial chicken stock)
1 T. honey
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. cumin
1 T. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
Grill salt-and-peppered pork chops. Remove meat from bones, dice and set aside. Re-grill bones and tie together in a bundle.
Sauté onions until browned and caramelized. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute.
Puree onions, garlic and red chile pods in a food processor or blender. Add chicken stock to make pureeing easier.
In a large pot, combine onion/chile puree, chicken stock, meat, honey, herbs, and grilled bone-bundle. Simmer about 3 hours, or until flavors have melded into a warm, perfectly balanced southwest nectar. Remove and discard bones. Adjust salt, pepper, and other spices to taste.
Note: Make sure you freeze plenty of this for easy southwestern dishes all year long. I think 2-cup quantities in a quart freezer bag is the perfect amount.