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Green Chile Stew Por Los Besinos!

Ahh...the smell of fresh green chile roasting in the air! Harvested beginning in early September, New Mexico seems to have an entire climate change as the scent of roasting green chiles permeates the air. Green chile stew is a traditional serving during this time. Since heat levels vary, you should use whatever suits your tongue--being a modest Chilehead, I prefer extra hot. Picture courtesy of:

www.Chileplants.com

But you can use the milder Anaheim found in most supermarkets, or even, in a pinch, canned brands.

3 lb. lean beef or pork, small cubed
cooking oil
small onion, chopped
4 potatoes, cut into cubes
1 t salt
1/2 lb. green chile -- fresh (roasted,peeled and chopped) or frozen
1 teaspoon garlic salt, or 1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
6 - 7 cups water or broth

Brown meat in a little oil in a large heavy stew pot. Add onions and diced potatoes and brown with meat. After browning pour off any excess fat.
Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and simmer at least 30 minutes.
Serve with warm flour tortillas.

Homemade Pancake Recipe

I'm posting this recipe because it's the one I use when I make my Jalapeno Popper batter or my Chile Relleno batter. It's a terrific, easy batter that fries up fluffy.

3 large eggs
1 cup flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
Pinch salt

First, separate the eggs, putting the whites in 1 bowl and the egg yolks into another. Add the flour, baking powder and milk to the egg yolks and mix to a smooth thick batter. I use a blender or food processor with a whisk attachment. Whisk the whites with the salt until they form stiff peaks. Fold into the batter.

For pancakes, heat a non-stick pan on a medium heat. Put a tab of butter in the heated pan. Pour some of your batter into the pan and fry for a couple of minutes until it starts to look golden and firm. At this point, sprinkle your chosen flavoring onto the uncooked side before loosening with a spatula and flipping the pancake over. Continue frying until both sides are golden.

You can make these pancakes large or small, to your liking.

To use as batter for poppers or chile rellenos, simply place poppers into the batter, hold by the stems, and make sure the entire popper is generously coated with the batter. Proceed as directed in the recipe for frying the poppers.

Your Own Homemade Baking Powder

Homemade baking powder? Is there such a thing? And why would you want to make your own, if that's possible?

First of all, there is such a thing. If you'll look at the ingredients on a can of typical baking powder, you will see the same ingredients listed here. The question is, in what proportion are the ingredients?

Second, typical baking powder contains other ingredients, namely sodium aluminum sulfate and acid phosphate of calcium. The reason most baking powders use bitter tasting sodium aluminum sulfate is because this element delays to a minimum the reaction between the water and the powder until it goes into the oven. There are people who argue that ingestion of aluminum in any amount whatsoever is dangerous to your health. They point out that virtually all Alzheimer patients have abnormally high levels of aluminum in their brain. This fact is one of their main arguments.

You can learn more about baking powder ingredients here.

The measure indicated is, for one teaspoon baking powder = mix 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar plus 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Add cornstarch to keep the mixture from absorbing moisture. That said, here is my recipe for about 10 ounces of homemade baking powder:

1/2 cup cream of tartar
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup cornstarch

Put all ingredients into a small covered container and shake vigorously to thoroughly mix. Store in your refrigerator.

Flour Tortillas

Makes 1 Dozen

2 cups flour, all purpose
1 T salt
1 T baking powder
4 T shortening--vegetable fat or animal fat (lard)
1 cup very warm water, (more or less--may vary with the flour used)

Combine the dry ingredients, then cut in shortening. Make a small well in the center and gradually add water. Knead the dough until it is soft, smooth and elastic. Divide into equally sized balls, then set aside at least 20 minutes——I let the dough rest for 30-60 minutes covered with a piece of plastic and a towel over that. This helps the baking powder activate.

Preheat an ungreased griddle (or "comal") about 10 minutes before you begin to roll out the dough (keep the temperature setting to between "4" or a "6" on the dial). Roll each ball into a circle with a rolling pin (or "bolillo"). Don't worry if you can't make a perfect circle; the tortilla will taste just as good. You can dust the rolling pin with flour if the dough adheres to it. Put the rolled out tortilla on the griddle. Watch carefully and you will see small bubbles appear on the top surface. I like large bubbles, but the point is not let the tortilla burn. Flip to the other side. The tortilla should be lightly speckled. Cover with a clean dry kitchen towel to keep warm.

If tortillas turn out too hard, there are several reasons I’ve learned. One, your flour may be “too old”. I’ve noticed that flour stored longer than six months just doesn’t work the same. I solve that problem by sifting again or just plain buying fresh. Two, your baking powder may react differently due to elevation and/or quantity. Try reducing or increasing the amount of powder. Three, not enough shortening.

You might be tempted (as I have been in the past) to use baking soda to help the dough rise more, for thicker tortillas. This works, but the tortillas turn out yellow. Use a scant 1/2 teaspoon yeast dissolved in honey and 110 degree water (1/2 cup) if that is your objective. Reduce baking powder by half if you use yeast. Better yet, make your own baking powder (see recipe that will follow)and roll out the tortillas a little thicker before baking them.

Flavored tortillas: You can add different seasonings, for example, garlic powder and/or garlic salt, chile powder (red or green); Mexican oregano, thyme, etc., even chicken stock liquid instead of water. Experiment your heart away! Tortillas freshly baked are pretty hard to ruin, you know! Also, you can substitute mayonnaise or sour cream for the shortening...if you plan on eating the tortillas all in one day. They turn hard if kept an additional day, but they are soft and delicious when fresh!

Authentic Red Chile Sauce From Chile Pods

Easy and authentic!

8 dried red New Mexico chile pods
2 cups water
8 oz can Tomato sauce
3 1/2 cups water, warm
1 T Oregano leaves; dried
1/2 cups Onion; chopped
1 T Cumin seed or 1/2 t cumin powder
4 garlic cloves; chopped
1 t Salt
1/4 cup oil

Remove stems, seeds and membranes from chiles. In a 2-quart saucepan, cover chiles with water. Heat until boiling, then remove from heat and let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. In a fry pan, cook and stir onion and garlic in oil until onion is tender. Put into chile saucepan with the chiles & liquid, and add the remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling, reduce heat.

Simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes; cool. Pour into a food processor work bowl fitted with steel blade or into a blender container; cover and process until smooth.

Cover and refrigerate up to 10 days. It makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Balazos (Jalepeno Poppers)

Note: Balazos is one Spanish word used to mean "gunshots". Most people know these delicious spicy snacks as poppers. You can even find them in the refrigerated section of most stores. The typical Jalepeno pepper is very hot, but there has been a hybrid grown that is larger in size and about as mild as a bell pepper. Their size makes them wonderful for making poppers, but if you like the bite (or the "gunshot") of a real balazo, either use the smaller original Jalepeno or finely dice a few original ones and add it in your filling!

Here's the recipe I use.

2 dozen fresh Jalepeno peppers
8 oz cream cheese
pancake mix (see posted recipe)
oil for frying
optional ingredients: shrimp, crabmeat, or even imitation lobster
Substitute monterey jack or other sharp cheddar cheese for the cream cheese

Use the best peppers you can find: shiny, firm, thick and green. Roast them over an open fire like your bbq grill until they are slightly blistered. Place them in a plastic bag and set them aside for an hour or so. They will steam inside the bag, and soften up. Rinse them under cold water to remove whatever loose blistered skin you find.

Follow the directions on the pancake mix to make enough batter. I used 2 cups. You want a fairly thick batter that will not drip too much. If it drips too fast, it's too thin.

Cut a slit into each pepper lengthwise. For mild peppers (which are absolutely delicious!) carefully cut away the seed cluster and trim the interior vein (the white meat inside). Rinse and pat dry. For naturally hot peppers, just rinse some of the seeds out and pat dry.

Fill the cavity with a generous amount of cream cheese (or filling) and close the opening. Heat enough oil in a pan to fry (about 2 inches deep). Make sure the oil is hot enough, which is just when it begins to smoke. You can drop a teaspoon of batter into it; if the batter instantly fries and bubbles, it's ready. If it just sits there and slowly fries, it ain't ready.

Dip the peppers into the batter and drop carefully into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Let cool. Salt to your taste and bite away.

You can make just about any cheese style filling, experiment as you want. I have used shrimp blended into the cream cheese, this is super. You can also use the yellow cheddar cheese to make a more traditional popper, one that is close to chile rellenos in flavor.