Grandma's Hatch Green Chile

My grandmother on my mother's side, Bessie (Vicentita) Sanchez Darden, is from Las Vegas, New Mexico. As a New Mexican native who spoke fluent spanish and grew up in a large catholic family, she kept some of her childhood traditions as she transitioned to life with my grandfather in the deep south, Centerville, Alabama. What a wonderful woman! Anybody who walked in her home was treated to this dish and may have needed a nap before leaving.

My mom's family of course covets these peppers. Now, even my dad has picked up on this tradition and orders 50 lbs of fresh peppers each fall to go camping to roast these hatch chile peppers and drink tequila. To roast them, we turn them over on the fire until charred and place them in brown paper bags overnight so they sweat. In the morning, we peel them (dad wants to keep all of the seeds, they make the peppers hotter) and then sort them into plastic bags, label them and freeze them for the year.

This is the recipe that my grandmother taught me:

1/2 cup chopped Roasted and Peeled Hatch Green Chiles (make sure you use gloves depending on the heat of the peppers)
1/2 chopped onion
1 package Ground Turkey, Beef, Pork, Venison or Chicken
2 potatoes, diced (not too small)
1 cup flour
2 cloves garlic
1 cup water
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. olive oil


Optional Toppings:
Sour Cream
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Grated Cheddar Cheese
Tortillas (heat on stove)
Pinto Beans
1 tsp Red Chile powder, to taste

1. Saute garlic and meat together with olive oil until meat is browned.
2. Add chiles, potatoes, onions, water, salt and red chile to taste, leaving the stove on medium-high
*These measurements are estimates.  The water should be above the surface by about a fingertip.  Feel free to add or subtract chile depending on the spice you want.
3. On a separate burner, using a small pan, heat the flour making sure it doesnt burn.  Then, take the flour in a separate bowl and mix it with water.  It should dissolve completely, without any clumps left. Pour the flour mixture into the chile while stirring.  Put a little bit in at a time to make sure it doesnt get too thick. If you need more, then use more.
4. Leave the pot on simmer for as long as you want.
5. Cook pinto beans on a separate pot.
6. Serve Chile, leaving the Sour Cream, Cheese, Tomatoes (diced), Tortillas, Lettuce, and Pinto Beans in separate bowls for those enjoying the chile to experiment with.

ENJOY THE CHILE!!!!!