Visiting locally owned eateries on a recent road trip through Santa Fe and Taos, N.M., I was intrigued to discover their penchant for adding another layer of flavor to the traditional grilled burger using green chiles or green chile salsas.
Since its popularity blossomed in the mid-1950s, the green chile has become a featured item in many New Mexico diners and burger joints. As the green chile popularity has increased, many variations of the green chile burger are now found in their upscale eateries. Simple as it sounds, it only took a bite or two to pique my curiosity and make me seek out a few tips on this flair to share.
The green chile cheeseburger has become such a hit in New Mexico that their tourism website www.newmexico.org dedicates a page to the Amazing Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail. This page ensures that one may take advantage of a great bite regardless of the highway chosen, including a map marking 97 restaurants across the state featuring green chile burgers with a downloadable directory listing the address of each.
With varieties from the cool fresh flavor of tomatillos to the breathtaking bite of ghost habaneros, salsa verdes and chiles can be selected or combined to suit most everyone’s taste. To make the best choice, the first thing one needs to understand is the difference in the most popular types of chiles.
Tomatillo: A primary ingredient in many green sauces, the tomatillo (toh-MAH-te-YO) is actually a member of the nightshade family known for its bright heat-less slightly sweet flavor. The key to selecting a tomatillo is choosing firm, green unripe fruit in a fresh or lightly brown husk. Once the tomatillo has ripened to yellow and the husk is shriveled, it is past its prime for use in chile verde sauce.
Anaheim: Available year-round in most markets, Anaheims (AN-a-heim) are large 5-8-inch mildly sweet to moderately hot peppers. While they are a great addition to sauces and soups, they’re most popularly used for stuffed chile rellenos, which will be discussed more. (Scoville heat units 2500)
Jalapeno: Seemingly the most popular and readily available, jalapeno (hah-lah- PEHN-yo) peppers have a rich flavor with moderate heat. (Scoville heat units 2000- 8000)
Serrano: Similar to jalapeno in appearance but much hotter, a small amount of serrano (se-RAH-noe) adds a nice kick to recipes. Just keep in mind when selecting that the smaller the actual serrano pepper the hotter. (Scoville heat units 10,000-25,000)
Habanero: To really turn up the heat on your salsa verde, this lantern-shaped chile averaging 5 centimeters in length can be 30-50 times hotter than a jalapeno. While a typical habanero pepper used fresh, dried or cooked can have a Scoville heat rating of 150,000-350,000, for the heat hearty, there is also the “ghost” habanero with a Scoville heat units of 1,000,000.
The addition of chile can be as simple as choosing your favorite peppers, removing the stems and seeds, and cutting in half to flatten on the grill or skillet to soften over heat before adding to burger or meal. Whether using this basic approach or including in sauces, to add another layer of flavor many cooks often first actually char the whole chiles on the grill or in the oven. The charred outer skin is removed then the chile is prepared as planned.
For a good basic green sauce, my personal favorite is Zarel Martinez’s Salsa de Tomatillo con Aquacate (tomatillo salsa with avocado). In addition to topping burgers, this salsa is very versatile. While it is great served over omelets or with meats and seafood, it would make a delicious garnish for many appetizers and soups.
In a food processor or blender, process 2 chunked garlic cloves and 1-1/2 teaspoons salt into a paste. Scrape down the sides if necessary with a rubber spatula; add a small coarsely chopped onion, 2-3 serrano chiles (stems and seeds removed, cut into chunks), 6-8 average tomatillos quartered and 4-6 sprigs cilantro.
Process this salsa mix with an on-off motion to make a slight chunky puree. Scoop the flesh of one ripe avocado (hass or fuerte) into the machine and process to the desired smoothness, anywhere from chunky to a fine puree depending on your use. Serve within 1 hour (or preferably at once). Yield: About 2 1/4 cups For the cheese portion of the burger, most cafes melt vivid orange American cheese on top of the salsa verde to keep the components intact. However, I have delightful visions of smoked gouda, simple creamy gruyere, mustard-seed cheddar or rich cambozola. Hmmm, now that I think about it, if we use sourdough bread and hold the burger, these chiles would make a great kicked up grilled cheese. Pardon me while I go warm up the skillet.
Lynn Laird is a writer, fine artist and self-professed bon vivant living in Bossier. With “Flair for Cooking,” she seeks out interesting ingredients and techniques to help make everyday meals just a touch more fabulous. She can reached at flairforcooking@ gmail.com.
