Our super favorite Green Chile Fiesta class is set for  Thursday, July 11 and is now on sale for just $95.00.  Green chiles are so special and flavorful.  I would love to share some of my favorite recipes for them with you in this 100% Full Participation cooking class this coming Thursday evening, July 11 at 5 PM.

Don't worry about the heat in our kitchen.  I have taken care of that.  I have both refrigerated and evaporative coolers in place.  The only heat will be from the green chiles--and I will have fresh ones.

Speaking of green chiles, I am not sure I ever told you all about my publishing experience behind getting my Tex Mex cookbook published back in 1980.  A professional associate I had met while at American Express, the renowned graphic designer, Milton Glaser,  introduced me to Bruce Harris, the officer of Crown Publishing in charge of acquisitions for Harmony, a division  of Crown Publishing.  Bruce had been a hippie in New Mexico in the sixties in the rubber tire village, now known as Placitas, which is now an upscale suburb of Albuquerque. 

The working title of the book of New Mexican recipes I had written and wanted him to publish was New Mexican Cookery...A Guide to Cooking with Green Chile and Blue Corn.  He told me he knew how delicious New Mexican cookery was, but he said, "no one wants to eat green or blue food and hardly anybody knows New Mexico even exists".  He added, he wanted to publish the book, but that I had to agree to a title change that he would review with his staff and would get back to me with their recommended title. 

Well, when he got back to me within a few days, I was aghast at his suggested title of Jane Butel's Tex-Mex Cookbook.   I quickly told him that my book was not about Texas Mexican cooking, but New Mexican which is a totally different style of  cooking.  He agreed, but said everyone on his team felt that title would be a good seller, so I had to agree or go elsewhere.

Well--they were right, the book became an immediate "best seller"  and remained in hard bound until 2012, when they brought it out, finally, in paperback, which lasted a few more years.  With all due modesty, the book set all kinds of sales records and really put me "on the map" so to speak.  Just a few years ago, I had it republished and it is selling once again.  By the way,  I will have it along with a few other cookbooks I written for sale at this forthcoming class next Thursday evening.

Some of the green Chile specialties, we will be making are Blue Corn Crusted Chile Rellenos, Green Chile Crusted Quiche, of course, Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas and the most "amazingly delicious Green Chile Apple Pie" and more.

And...I am placing the class on a special price of just $95.00, down from $115.00.

Next week, I will be offering an all new Souithwestern Grilling class on July 18 and the always favorite Taco Party on July 25.  All of the classes will start at 5 PM.

On August 2 - 4, we will be presenting the full participation weekend cooking class and on October 14 - 18, we will be offering our full participation week long cooking class.

Here's a couple of favorite recipes--   

Navajo Green Chile Stew

Beware, chile novices—you may be too green for this green chili. It is a favorite of the Navajos and they like it hot. Go light on the chiles when starting out—you can always add more. Serve this with Bear Paw Bread (Pueblo Indian French style bread) or generously buttered hot flour tortillas.

Yield: 8 to 12 servings

3 pounds pork shoulder, fat and bone removed (reserve the fat), cut into ½ inch cubes

1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

2 ½ teaspoons salt

3 medium-size onions, coarsely chopped

4 medium-size cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cans (14 ½ ounces each) whole tomatoes, chopped, liquid reserved

20 fresh green chiles, parched, peeled, and cut crosswise into 1 inch wide strips

(to equal about 4 cups; see Note)

½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

1. Melt the pork fat in a heavy straight-sided 5-quart pot over medium high heat.

1. Combine the flour and salt in a paper bag. Add the pork cubes and shake bag to coat them with flour. Shake the excess flour off the pork cubes. Add the pork to the pot, a third at a time, and cook, stirring, until the cubes are evenly browned on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. As they are browned, transfer the pork cubes to a bowl and set aside.

1. Add the onions and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

1. Return the pork to the pot, stir in the tomatoes, their liquid, and 3 cups water, and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes.

1. Uncover the pot, add the chiles and oregano, and cook for another 30 minutes. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Notes: If you can’t find fresh chiles, use 2 cans (16 ounces each) whole green chiles. Drain them seed them, and cut them crosswise into 1-inch slices.

Reprinted with permission from Chili Madness by Jane Butel

Roasting Green Chiles

When you cook with fresh green chiles, I recommend that you parch or roast them to remove the tough outer skin. The process—intense direct heat on the peel of the chile that nonetheless leaves the flesh uncooked—is easy enough, but if you are not used to the sting of chiles, you may want to wear rubber gloves or generously butter your hands to prevent a burn from the chiles’ irritating oils.

To parch chiles, first wash them, removing all sand and dirt. Leave the stem on, then pierce each one with a sharp knife, about 1 inch down from the stem.

To Parch a Few Chiles: Set up an ice water bath in a large bowl next to the stove. Place each chile directly on a medium-hot electric burner surface unit, or hold it with tongs or a meat fork over a gas burner on medium-high heat. Using tongs, carefully rotate the chiles until the skin is charred on all sides, about 3 to 5 minutes, then plunge the roasted chiles into the ice bath. Allow the chiles to soak until cool to the touch, then use your fingers to peel away the skin from stem to tip.

To Parch Large Quantities of Chiles: If using an electric oven, cover the entire top rack with heavy aluminum foil and place it four inches from the broiler unit. If yours is a gas oven, cover the broiler rack with foil and place the rack in the closest position to the broiler. (For smaller quantities, cover a baking sheet with foil, and place it on an uncovered rack.)

Preheat the broiler. Set up an ice water bath in the sink or a very large bowl. When the broiler is hot, carefully place a single layer of chiles on the foil-covered rack or baking sheet and broil until the skin begins to blister on top, about 3 to 5 minutes. Carefully turn the chiles using long tongs or a metal meat fork, and continue to cook until the skins are blistered all over, about minutes more. Watch the chiles closely—they burn quickly. As soon as the chiles are parched, immerse them in the ice bath. Once the chiles have cooled to the touch, simply pull off the skin in strips, working from the stem to the tip—it should come away easily.

Blot the chiles dry between layers of paper towels. Keep the stems on if preparing chiles rellenos, or remove them if using the chiles in other ways. For a milder roasted chile, slice open the pods and strip out the seeds and veins with the backside of a knife.

Freezing Parched Chiles

Once you’ve prepared your chiles, you can use them right away or freeze them for later use.

To freeze parched chiles, drain them well after removing them from the ice water bath, then place them on cookie sheets and freeze them (Do not peel the chiles—leaving the skin on now gives you more flexibility of use lat) Package the flash-frozen chiles in plastic freezer bags. To use in a recipe, prep the chiles as needed.

Although freezing does soften the chiles’ crisp texture, it does not impair the taste. Because chiles are perishable and seasonal, freezing is often the only alternative. Parched green chiles freeze well for one year.(I must admit, I have "lost" a package and used them much later and they were still good.  The trick is, leave the skin on before freezing.)  

Freezing Parche