Afterburner Cake  

Don’t let the color of the batter put you off (fondly referred to as puke-green)!

This is a sweet spice cake made with pureed green chiles.  I used fresh roasted 6-4’s (a mild Anaheim hybrid with a slight bite).  This cake has a nice, full flavor with a slight heat sensation afterward. Very interesting.  I would only use mild chiles in this recipe. Some say it’s addictive.

2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda

1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder

1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1⁄2 teaspoon cloves

1⁄2 teaspoon allspice

1 1⁄2 cups green chiles (if using canned, separate the chiles from the liquid before measuring and use the liquid as part of the 2/3 cup milk)

2/3 cup milk (or milk combined with chile juice from canned chiles)

1⁄2 cup oil

2 eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour baking pan 13x9x2 inches. Put green chiles and milk in blender and puree. Measure all ingredients into large mixer bowl.   Blend minute on low speed, then 3 minutes on high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan.  Bake approximately 55-65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool.

Chile Relleno Casserole

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups whole green chilies, split open and cut into big pieces

8 corn tortillas
4 cups shredded cheddar (about 1 pound)
3 cups shredded Monterey Jack (about 1 pound)

Lightly grease 9x13-inch glass baking dish. Beat first 5 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Arrange 1/3 chilies in prepared dish, covering bottom completely. Sprinkle with 1/3 of each cheese, then cover with 1 layer of tortillas. Repeat layering twice. Pour egg mixture over cheese. Let stand 30 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Preheat oven to 350F. Bake until casserole is slightly puffed in center and golden brown on edges, about 45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes and serve.

Note: Sometimes I make this with medium hot chiles (Sandia or Pueblo Hot), sometimes with mild (6-4 or Anaheim), sometimes half and half mixed together.  For pot lucks, I usually make one end hot and one end mild so that people can choose.  This always gets rave reviews.

Mexican Spoon Bread

 Ingredients
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 15-ounce can cream-style corn
1/2 cup green chiles (canned or fresh roasted), mild or 1/2 mild and 1/2 hot*
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

Directions
Mix cornmeal, salt and soda.  Blend milk and chiles in a blender. Pour milk/chile mixture and oil in with dry ingredients and mix.  Add eggs, corn and cheese and mix well.  Pour into 9 X 9 square baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.  This is a fabulous pot-luck dish.

Variation:  Mexican Spoon Muffins
Pour the mixture into greased teflon muffin tins (I use miniature.) and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.  These make a great appetizer.

Tom’s Black Beans

This recipe uses canned black beans, but is even better if you
substitute 8 to 10 oz of freshly cooked black beans instead and the
same amount fresh chopped tomatoes.

4 to 6 roasted chiles, diced
1 - 8 oz can black beans
1 - 8 oz can diced stewed tomatoes
1 - 6 oz can corn (drained)
medium onion, diced
chopped cilantro
4 to 8 cloves of garlic, chopped
cup chicken stock
cup wine, red or white
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons bakers chocolate
cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Saut onions and garlic in a little oil. Add chicken, beef, or pork at this stage, if desired. When onions are translucent,
sprinkle with 1 tsp of the brown sugar and brown.  Add tbsp wine or balsamic and
reduce.

Add onions and all other ingredients to the pot. Stir and  bring to boil, then reduce heat and
simmer for about 20 minutes.

For vegetarian substitute vegetable stock for chicken and add sauted
mushrooms for a meatier flavor.

Add more Green Chilies to bring up the heat

Garnish with grated cheese cilantro and or chopped onions Serve with
blue corn chips and fresh salsa.

Grandma Cec's Famous Garlic Salsa
Courtesy of Grandma Cec, Garlic Grande Dame at Tagawa Gardens

4 ripe tomatoes
1/2 to 1 whole onion
Cilanto to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 whole chile pepper (or less for mild)
3 cloves of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop all ingredients to desired size, large for chunky salsa, finely chopped for thinner salsa.  Mix all ingredients together season to taste and enjoy.

Kent's Mexican-Style Chick-Pea Salad
Courtesy of Kent, Tagawa Class & Events Coordinator at Tagawa Gardens

5 roasted chilies of choice
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
3 medium ripe tomatoes
4 cups drained cannedchickpeas (2 19-ounce cans)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice plus additional to taste
3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Freshly ground black pepper

Rinse chilies.  Seed and mince.  Mince onion and garlic.  Peel, seed, and chip tomatoes.  Rinse and drain chickpeas, and in a large bowl stir together all ingredients except additional lime juice.  Chill the salad, covered, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.  Season slad with salt and add additional lime juice.  Serve salad at cool room temperature.

Dee's Green Chile
Courtesy of Dee, Foliage & Water Gardening Supervisor at Tagawa Gardens

1-2 pounds pork loin
1-2 large onions, chopped
4-8 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup light olive or canola oil
1/2 bushel cleaned chilies, chopped
1 large can peeled red tomatoes or green tomatoes from your garden
2 tbsp chicken stock
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup water

Brown the roast on all sides in oil.  Put meat in a pressure cooker or large pot.  Add onion & garlic.  Add enough water to cover the meat.  You can add chicken stock for extra flavor.  Cook until meat shreds easily (stove: simmer 4-6 hours; cooker: about 2 hours).  Add water as needed ... do not allow to go dry.  When done cooking, remove meat and shred by hand.  Put meat back in pot and add chilies, tomatoes, and water or stock to the top.  Simmer on low overnight.  To thicken sauce, whisk together water and flour and add to stew.  Bring to a boil and remove from heat.  Serve and enjoy.

Rick's Green Chili Stew

2 lbs diced pork fat removed

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 medium diced red potatoes

1/2 cup /- sliced or diced onions

1 clove /- minced garlic

1 teaspoons /- salt

6-10 roasted green chiles - depending on size and flavor.

Some people add oregano. I think it's a little too much flavor confusion.

Brown meat, garlic, onions and salt in oil. Add potatoes and chiles and enough water to cover and to make some broth after some absorption and evaporation. You might have to add a little water as you go, depending on the kind of pot and lid you use. Now, I've also used chicken broth instead of some of the water. It's a little different that way. Nice flavor, though. I cook rice that way too. A bit of black pepper will put a slightly different hard "edge" on the stew. If you like it, add it carefully.

Cook it on low heat for a couple of hours. Some say 2-3, others say 6-8. Just make sure the potatoes don't dissolve. This will serve 4 bowls or so for starters. I like to make a bigger batch so I can freeze some for later. When you serve it, make sure you have flour tortillas and butter to go with it. Mmmmmmm.

For more recipes, see Green Chili Lover