Instructions: NOTE: Roast, peel, seed, devein, and chop chiles to measure.

Cafe Pasquals is a well known restaurant in Santa Fe, NM and one of my favorites. This is the sauce we use to dress omelets, huevo motulenos, huevos rancheros, enchiladas, and burritos. Called chile verde, it is the gravy of New Mexico. Gravies are the personal mark of a cook, so please feel free to make this recipe yours with your own additions or deletions.

Green chiles are available fresh, frozen, canned, or dried. If using fresh chiles for this recipe, which are preferred, make a special effort to obtain New Mexico green chiles rather than use the milder, ubiquitous Anaheim variety. If New Mexico green chiles are unavailable, substitute fresh poblano chiles. Poblano chiles are shiny, dark green, and have more of a bell pepper shape that the longer, pointed New Mexico and Anaheim varieties. Fresh chiles need to be roasted, peeled, stemmed, seeded, and chopped before using. Frozen chiles have already been prepared in this manner. If using canned chiles, the least preferable choice, rinse them thoroughly before using. Canned and frozen chile producs are specifically labeled by the processor as to whether the chiles are hot, medium-hot, or mild. If using dried green chiles, soak in hot water tocover for 45 minutes to rehydrate them, then drain, seed, and chop.

Place all the ingredients, except the vegetable oil and flour, in a saucpan over medium heat. Simmer uncovered, until juice has thickened and is opaque, 20 to 30 minutes. Stir occasionally, taking care that the chiles do not burn or stick to the bottom of the pan.

In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and flour until smooth and well blended, to form the base for as roux. Place in a saucepan over medium-high heat until hot and bubbling. Reduce the heat to low and whisk, constantly until the roux is slightly brown and has a nutty flavor. Remove from the heat.

Add 1/2 cup of the green chile mixture to the roux and whisk thoroughly until smooth. Add the roux to the remaining chile mixture and cook over low heat until the sauce thickens and the "flour taste" disappears, about 15 minutes. Adjust to taste with salt.

Remove from the heat, let cool, cover, and store in a nonreactive container in the refrigerator until needed. The sauce may be refrigerated for up to 4 days. Check it for sourness if held any longer. The sauce may be frozen for up to 2 months. To heat the sauce for serving, place it in a nonreactive pan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.

Variation with meat (con carne): Prepare the sauce as direced. Cut 1 pound pork shoulder in half and trim off any fat. Place the pork in a saucepan and add 2 white onions, quartered; 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; 2 teaspoons cumin seeds; 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano leaves; 12 whole black peppercorns, and water tocover (about 8 cups). Bring to a boil and skim off and discard the resulting foam. Cover and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender, about 1 hour. Drain and, with two opposing forks, shred the meat into long strings. Chop the shredded meat with a cleaver into 1/2-inch lengths and stir into the finished chile sauce.

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