New Mexicali Green Chile Cheese Kugel Recipes

GREEN CHILE CHEESEBURGER

Steps:

• Preheat the grill to high.
• In a large bowl, mix the ground beef with the salt and pepper and set aside.
• Next, brush the green chiles with oil and place them on the hottest part of the grill. Cook the chiles until they are charred on all sides about 5 minutes. Then remove them from the grill and put them in a bowl of ice water to cool. Remove the chiles from the ice water and carefully peel off the charred skin. Cut the stem off, remove the seeds and set aside. Take the onions and place them on the grill. Cook the onions until charred on all sides about 10 minutes and set aside.
• In a blender, add half the peeled chiles and half of the charred onions. Then add in the garlic, epazote, and oregano. Blend until the ingredients come together. Add the grapeseed oil and water and continue blending until the mixture is smooth about 30 seconds. Remove mixture to a large bowl.
• Roughly chop the remaining chiles and onions and mix them into the chile puree. Season, to taste.
• Form the ground beef into 4 (8-ounce) patties. Brush the grill with oil and cook the patties to desired doneness, 5 minutes for medium rare, 15 minutes for well done. Put the hamburger buns on the grill until lightly toasted. Just before removing the burgers, top them with the cheese and chile mixture. Remove the patties from the grill once the cheese begins to melt and place them on the hamburger buns. Garnish with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

THIRTY-LAYER GREEN CHILE MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• For the pasta: Mound the "00" flour on a clean work surface and make a well in the center. Crack the eggs into the well and beat with a fork. Add the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Slowly work the flour from the edges of well into center until a dough ball starts to form. Knead for 3 to 5 minutes, until very smooth. Wrap in plastic and let rest at room temperature for 30 min.
• Divide the dough into four pieces and cover with a damp towel. Using a pasta roller set to the thickest (widest) setting, roll one piece of dough out into a sheet. Fold the sheet in half and pass it through the roller again on the same setting. Reduce the setting and repeat, rolling and folding the dough and passing it twice through the machine before going to the next setting. Continue in this manner until the thinnest setting has been used. Repeat with rest of the dough.
• Let rest on a baking rack for 10 to 15 minutes, until the moisture is reduced by about half.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• For the cheese sauce: Add the butter and all-purpose flour to a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring continuously, until blond and smooth. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Add the mustard, hot sauce and cheeses, slowly at first; cook, whisking, until smooth and combined. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• For the green chile puree: To a blender, add the olive oil and the sherry vinegar, garlic, shallot and chiles. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• To assemble dish: Bring 4 cups salted water to a boil. Cut the pasta sheets to fit a buttered 10-inch square casserole dish. In batches, cook the pasta sheets for 1 minute in the boiling water; immediately submerge in an ice bath to stop cooking.
• Spread a ladleful of cheese sauce in the bottom of the casserole dish; arrange pasta sheets on top to fit the dish. Ladle in more cheese sauce, just to cover, then liberally spread with green chile puree. Cover with more pasta sheets. Repeat the layers all the way to the top of the casserole dish. Sprinkle the Parmesan on top.
• Bake until golden brown and delicious, and the center has reached 160 degrees F, about 15 minutes.

POTATO KUGEL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray.
• Melt the schmaltz (or heat the oil) in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, thyme and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs and transfer the onions to a large bowl; add the potatoes and chives. Gently stir the mixture together.
• Whisk the eggs and salt in a medium bowl. Pour evenly over the potato mixture and fold in to combine. Spread and press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.
• Bake until the kugel is set and you see the sides become a deep golden brown through the glass baking dish, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving, sprinkle each portion with more chives.

TRADITIONAL-STYLE NEW MEXICO GREEN CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a medium sauce pan, saute the onion and garlic in the oil over medium-high heat, until tender (about 3 minutes).
• Stir in the flour, cumin, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring, for 2 minutes.
• Stir in the stock and simmer until thick and smooth.
• Stir in the chiles and oregano.
• At this point you may cool, and store in refrigerator, covered, for up to one day.
• To serve, heat thoroughly.

GREEN CHILE CHEESEBURGER DELUXE

Steps:

• Make the salsa: In a medium bowl, mix together onion, tomato, salt, Serrano chile and cilantro. This salsa tastes best when it's fresh, so don't set aside for too long.
• Prepare a charcoal barbecue or light the broiler. When hot, roast the chiles.
• Place chiles on a rack very close to the glowing coals, or on a baking sheet quite close to broiler flames. Using tongs, turn chiles occasionally until they are completely black and blistered all over. Alternatively, roast over stovetop flames. Set roasted chiles aside for a few minutes until cool enough to handle.
• Cut each chile in half lengthwise, then scrape away skins and seeds with a pairing knife. Do not rinse: A few bits of char are fine. Wipe chile "fillets" with a paper towel if you wish. Slice cleaned chiles lengthwise into 1/2-inch strips and set aside. (It's fine to roast chiles in advance, even a day or two ahead.)
• Divide ground meat into 6-ounce balls, and press them into 3/4-inch-thick patties. Season patties on both sides with salt and pepper.
• If grilling over coals, cook burgers over brisk heat, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Add sliced cheese when the burger's juices start appearing. Move burgers to a cooler spot on the grill and let cheese continue to melt.
• If cooking on stovetop, heat a cast-iron pan or ridged grill pan over high heat. When hot, cook burgers over brisk heat, about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Add sliced cheese when the burger juices start appearing. Turn off heat and let cheese continue to melt, or place pan under broiler.
• Place a cheeseburger on the bottom half of each bun. Adorn each burger generously with strips of roasted chile. Top the burgers with buns and serve immediately, accompanied by avocado slices and tomato salsa.