Green Chile Recipes That Will Transport You to the Heart of Santa Fe

If you’ve ever been to Santa Fe—or the annual Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta—you know they take their chile seriously. The City Different’s love affair with the fiery pepper is just as strong as their dedication to wearing turquoise, burning piñon, and drinking the celebrated libation of choice, silver coin margaritas.

The harvest of the chile pepper is not just about their beautiful flavor however, but “about the tradition of having to be innovative with a centuries-old crop,” says Coyote Cafe owner Quinn Stephenson. Since innovation is at the forefront of Santa Fe’s culinary scene, we tracked down a few of their award-winning chefs for their easy-to-make dishes that incorporate green chiles. From tacos and pizzas, to sliders and fresh fish in an aromatic sauce, these recipes will make you an honorary Santa Fean in your own kitchen.

Green Chile Buffalo Sliders

Serves 2 (3 Sliders Per Order) “Green chiles are actually known to be an easy ingredient to work with— especially because they pair well with different proteins—and green chile cheeseburger sliders are my interpretation of a classic Santa Fean recipe.” -Chef Edgar Beas of Rosewood Anasazi Restaurant

Ingredients

• 6 slider buns
• 1/2 cup chipotle mayonnaise (can be store bought)
• 3-4 slices applewood smoked bacon
• 2-3 Hatch green chiles
• 3 slices provolone cheese
• 15 oz. ground buffalo meat
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
2. Arrange slices of bacon on baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Cook each green chile over an open flame for 1-2 minutes, while constantly moving them, until charred. Immediately place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap for five minutes.
4. After 5 minutes, uncover and peel the skin off the chiles, then cut open and remove seeds.
5. Mix the buffalo mince with a pinch of salt and pepper and make 2.5 oz. patties—a total of 6 sliders.
6. Cook patties over grill until desired temperature is reached.
7. Slice and toast the slider buns, then add the chipotle mayo to each top bun.
8. Layer hatch green chiles over buffalo slider and top with provolone cheese, then place sliders into oven to melt cheese.
9. Once melted, place sliders onto buns and top with a piece of bacon.

Chopped Tortilla Salad With Green Chile Ranch Dressing

Serves 2-4 “The green chiles infuse deep, vegetal notes, giving this simple salad recipe a more complex flavor profile.” -Chef Edgar Beas of Rosewood Anasazi Restaurant

Ingredients

• 2 heads romaine hearts (chopped)
• 2 ears yellow corn
• ½ cup Queso Fresco (chopped)
• 1 cup black beans
• 2 large avocados (diced)
• 1 cup cherry tomatos (sliced)
• 6 Hatch green chiles (roasted, peeled, & deveined)
• 2 cups olive oil
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 limes
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 6 corn tortillas (fried in strips)

Directions

Green Chile Ranch Dressing

*

EDITOR’S NOTE

: You can blend the green chiles with store-bought ranch dressing if you don’t want to make your own.

• In a blender cup, add egg yolks and blend until yolks are pale.
• Add lime juice and blend until it is incorporated. Slowly add olive oil, until thick.
• Place freshly made mayonnaise in a mixing bowl and whisk in buttermilk and sour cream.
• Add three chopped Hatch green chiles. Add salt to taste.

Salad

1. Remove kernels from cob and lightly sauté over medium heat, until lightly caramelized. Set aside at room temperature.
2. In a large bowl, mix chopped romaine and dress with green chile ranch dressing.
3. Add corn, black beans, cherry tomatoes, and remaining chopped green chile. Place in bowls and top off with freshly sliced avocado, queso fresco, and blue corn tortilla chips. 

Smoked Trout Hash With Poached Eggs and Green Chile-Tomatillo Salsa

Serves 4 “This is a very popular dish at the cafe and one of those recipes that engages all parts of the tongue: salty, sweet, and zesty all at once. Smoked trout is widely available in the deli departments of supermarkets and fresh tomatillos are easily found in most natural food stores.” – Chef Katharine Kagel of Café Pasqual’s

• 10 large tomatillos (husked and rinsed)
• 1-2 jalapeno chiles (stemmed and halved)
• 1-2 Hatch green chiles (stemmed and halved)
• 1-2 chiles de arbol (stemmed)
• 1/4 white onion (chopped)
• 1 clove garlic
• 20 sprigs cilantro with stems on
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 cups tightly packed spinach leave

• 4 baking potatoes (peeled)
• 1 cup grated gruyere cheese
• 1/4 cup minced chives
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 5 tbsp butter
• 8 large eggs for poaching
• 1 lb smoked trout (torn into pieces)
• Cilantro or parsley for garnish 

1. Blend all salsa ingredients until liquefied; taste for heat and add more chiles if desired, then transfer to a bowl.
2. Boil the potatoes on high heat for 20 minutes or until you can pierce them with a fork, but do not overcook.
3. Drain and let cool completely (about 3 hours or you can do this the day before).
4. Once absolutely cool, grate the potatoes into a large bowl, then add the cheese, chives, salt, and pepper gently lifting and tossing the ingredients with your hands.
5. Preheat the oven to 200°F and put 1 tablespoon butter into preheated nonstick skillet. When the butter is heated hand pat one-forth of the potato mixture into the pan. Sauté over medium-high heat until golden (3-4 minutes per side)
6. Repeat for the remaining three pancakes and keep them warm in the oven while you sauté the trout in 1 tablespoon butter until heated through.
7. Poach the eggs until opaque, then lift out of the water with a slotted spoon.
8. Place 2 poached eggs on top of each pancake and gently dap them with a paper towel to dry.
9. Spoon 2 tablespoons salsa over the eggs and scatter the trout around the pancake.
10. Garnish with parsley or cilantro.

Green Chile Pizza

Serves 2-4 “Our green chile pizza is simple and delicious because of our amazing chile and handmade wood fire oven. That being said, this is a unique and easy pizza to duplicate at home.” Chef Josh Gerwin of Dr. Field Goods

Ingredients

• Favorite pizza dough (most pizza places will sell you fresh dough)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup roasted New Mexico green chile 
• 8 oz. mozzarella cheese 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the dough on a pan or pizza grate and using a squeeze bottle or olive oil bottle with a pour spout, lightly coat the dough. (We run around it in a spiral about 5 times from outside to in.)
2. Spread the mozzarella then the green chile evenly around the dough.
3. Bake until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown. Cut, serve, and enjoy.

Lamb Barbacoa with Green Chile and Cucumber Crema

Serves 4-6 “You can’t beat the incredible combination of slow-roasted lamb and a cucumber green chile crema.” -Chef Nathan Mayes of Paloma

Sea Bass Veracruz

Serves 4 “We get our sea bass whole from Baja California, but Whole Foods carries the same small sea bass and can filet them for you to make it easier.” -Chef Nathan Mayes of Paloma

Ingredients

• 4 sea bass filets (skin on)
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1⁄2 medium white onion (thinly sliced)
• 2 large garlic cloves (peeled and finely chopped)
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 1 cup fish stock
• 1 tsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
• 2 tbsp roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup pitted, halved green olives
• 2 tbsp. capers (drained)
• 3 tbsp roasted & diced Hatch green chiles
• Herb salad of Italian parsley, basil, and cilantro
• Virgin olive oil and lemon juice to dress herb salad

1. In a medium sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until just beginning to brown…about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring several times.
2. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, parsley, olives, capers, and chiles. Simmer briskly, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes to evaporate some of the liquid.
3. To finish the sauce, reduce the heat to medium-low, stir in 1 cup of fish stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and season with salt, usually about 1 teaspoon. Keep sauce warm.
4. Cooking the sea bass filets in a medium (hot) cast iron skillet, skin side down, in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until the skin is crisp…about 4 minutes. Flip the filets to finish them on the opposite side, about 1 minute.
5. Pour the sauce onto a warm plate and place the grilled fish on top. Garnish with herb salad of fresh basil, Italian parsley, and cilantro tossed in a quick dressing of lemon juice and olive oil. 

Calabacitas

Serves 8 (Makes About 6 cups) “Northern New Mexico’s regional cuisine finds its deep flavors from the ‘Three Sisters’ (squash, corn and beans) and the roasted green chile adds the spirit and uniqueness to our soul food.” -Chef Noe Cano of Santa Fe School of Cooking

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 1/2 cups diced yellow summer squash
• 2 1/2 cups diced green zucchini squash
• 3/4 cup finely chopped green onions
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup mild roasted, peeled and chopped green chile
• 1/2 cup hot roasted, peeled and chopped green chile
• 1 cup diced plum tomatoes
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt to taste

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet, and sauté the onion until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 2 minutes.
2. Add the diced squash and sauté for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the green onion, corn and green chile and sauté for 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the diced tomato and cilantro, and heat through. Season with salt to taste and serve.