Fire-Roasted Green Chile Sauce
Makes about 1-1/2 cups
This is one of those recipes where simplicity rules. Mild green chilies are fire-roasted, peeled, then chopped and mixed with grilled green onions, salt, a bit of
oregano, oil and a squeeze of lime. The key, though, is serving this sauce on top
of a perfect charcoal-grilled steak, chicken breast or chop, letting the fire-kissed
flavors dance merrily together. (This chunky sauce is great with quesadillas,
nachos, tortillas and salads.)
Look for long, slender fresh green chilies, about 6 inches long, known as New
Mexican chilies. If not available, substitute Anaheim chilies, which look similar but
are milder and grassier in flavor. (In a pinch, you can achieve a similar effect
using roasted, canned green chilies, but it won't be the same.)
Tip: If you're going to take the time to fire-roast and peel chilies (and you
should!), go ahead and prepare as many as your grill can handle. After peeling
and seeding, freeze the prepared chilies in zipper bags, a few chilies per bag, so
you can add them to any dish at a moment's notice. The taste is far superior to
canned chilies, and many a winter meal in my house has come together instantly
with just thawed roasted chilies, cheese and tortillas.
Ingredients and steps:
4 green chilies
3 green onions, with green stalks
nonstick spray or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon finely crumbled oregano (preferably Mexican)
1/8 teaspoon salt or to taste
Heat the grill (or broiler) until very hot.
To Fire-Roast the Chiles and Green Onions
Lightly coat the chilies and green onions with nonstick vegetable oil spray, or
wipe with vegetable oil. (This isn't absolutely necessary, but I find the oil helps
transfer the heat more quickly, so the chilies char and blister faster without
scorching the flesh beneath.)
Place the chilies and green onions on the grill over high heat. Cook the chilies on
all sides until the skin blisters all over, turning after each side is done. You want
to cook the chilies quickly, to blister and char the skin without burning the flesh.
Grill the onions until char marks appear, turning after each side is done. Remove
the chilies and green onions to a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic
wrap. Let rest at least 15 minutes or as long as 2 hours.
Remove the green onions to a cutting board and set aside.
Transfer the chilies to a sieve or colander and place it over the same bowl to
catch the juices. Using your fingers, peel off the charred skin (it's OK if small bits
of char remain, it adds flavor and color). Discard the stem and seeds. Don't rinse
the chilies under water - you'll lose the flavorful juices.
To make the sauce
Trim away the root end and finely chop the charred green onions, white and
green parts both.
Chop the peppers into about 1/2-inch dice and return them to the bowl with any
collected juices. Add the chopped green onion. Mix in the 2 teaspoons vegetable
oil, lime juice, oregano and salt. Let the mixture sit for at least 10 minutes for the
flavors to blend (or several hours) while you grill steaks, chops, or chicken
breasts. Taste and correct the seasonings before serving; you may need to
adjust the salt or lime juice.
Serve the mixture at room temperature by garnishing a spoonful of the chili
mixture on a hot grilled steak, chop or chicken breast.
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