Green Chile Sauce

I was in the mood for green chile sauce so I decided that it would be good over a steak.  I had some steaks in the freezer that I got on sale a while back and marinated them.  Besides throwing some sweet potatoes in the oven to bake and wrapping corn in foil for the grill all I had to cook was the sauce.  It's so easy to make!  Even if you can't get your hands on Hatch Green Chiles you can make this with any chile you can pick up at the grocery store.  It would be delicious with roasted poblanos as well.  If you have ever eaten at Chuy's this is like the green chile sauce they use.

Hatch Green Chile Sauce

(This is not an exact recipe.  You can use a little more or less of all of the ingredients)

  12 roasted and peeled green chiles (about 2 cups)

1 large onion diced

3-4 cloves of garlic minced

2-3 cups of chicken stock

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. chile powder (optional)

1 heaping tbsp. of flour

salt and pepper to taste

You can also add fresh or a can of diced tomatoes.  I would have probably added some but I didn't have any in my pantry.  We like tomatoes on pretty much everything.  If you do make sure and drain them well before adding.  

To roast a chile: Char the skin of the chile either on the grill or under the broiler in the oven.  Continuously turn it until it is black all the way around.  Put the chiles in a ziploc bag (or bowl covered with saran wrap) and seal.  The steam will help the skin come off when they are cool.  After they cool, or have thawed from the freezer peel the skin away trying not to rinse the chile with water.  If you rinse them it washes away some of their flavor.  Hold the chile at the top and pull down.  The skin should slide right off. 

 Cut the top off and scrape out the seeds. 

 I only had two small garlic cloves so I added a little bit of garlic powder while I cooked the sauce.

Saute the onions and garlic with olive oil until they are translucent.  Add the spices and seasonings and cook a few more minutes.  

I used Hatch Red Chile powder because I didn't have any green chile powder.  Add the seasonings to the onion and garlic mixture. 

 You should also add the flour at this point and let it cook a few minutes with the seasonings.  I forgot to add it then so I ladled a little bit of the liquid out after I added the chicken broth and set that aside to add later with the flour to help thicken it.

 After adding the green chiles add the chicken stock.  Turn the heat to low and simmer covered for 20-30 minutes.  Uncover and cook down to reduce the liquid by half. 

 We ate it over our steak, but it can also be served over chicken.  It could be used in quesadillas, burritos, or enchiladas.  It could be served over fried eggs for huevos rancheros.  If you have leftovers they can be frozen and used later.