Cool Recipe Alert: New Mexican green chile sauce

The cuisine of New Mexico was completely new to Matt Quist, corporate chef with Taher, Inc., but when he was tasked with setting up a new account at Sandia National Laboratories, a federally funded research and development center focused on national security in Albuquerque, N.M., he quickly learned one very important thing: “The green Hatch chile is like a religion,” he says. “When it’s Hatch chile season, you drive through the valley and they’re roasting chilies on the side of the road.” The people working alongside Quist in Sandia’s kitchens also made a big impression on him. “There’s a big Native American and Latino population here, and they’ve educated me,” he says, adding that he plans to introduce the sauce at more accounts around the country as well.

New Mexican green chile sauce
YIELD: 12 cups of sauce (2-oz. serving size)
1 lb. roasted Hatch chilies, diced
½ cup diced tomatoes
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/3 tsp. black pepper
6 ½ cups chicken stock
3 ¼ cup beef stock
6 Tbsps. corn starch

1. In large pot, add all ingredients except cornstarch. Add cornstarch slowly to prevent clumping, stirring constantly.
2. Let simmer for 15 minutes to 45 minutes and serve over your favorite New Mexican cuisine, such as enchiladas.

Photo and recipe: Taher Inc.