Instructions: Green chile (or chili), or chile verde can mean different things, and knowing one from another is a distinction that marks one as an insider (or _real_ chile-head!). The term applies to

1. the fresh green chiles picked before they turn red,

2. a paste made from roasted green chiles and garlic presented at the table to flavor frijoles (= beans),

3. the thickened cooking sauce served over enchiladas, burritos, etc,

4. the same sauce with chunks of cooked pork (or other meat) served as a soup/stew or a sauce for bean burritos.

The following recipe is for the chile verde sauce (#3). It can also include tomatoes and/or tomatillos (now that weve discussed epazote and cilantro, how about tomatillos!?).

There are many versions; this is one that I like; I have others that use no oil, and ones that include other ingredients (see previous paragraph). Heat the oil in a 1-2 qt saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cover and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes to wilt the onions. Dont let them brown. Raise heat to medium, stir in flour, cumin and black pepper.

Cook, stirring about 2 min. When the onion/flour mix just begins to color, remove from heat and add broth, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.

Add rest of ingredients. Return pan to heat, bring to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat another 30 min. The finished sauce should not be too thick; dilute with more broth or water if needed. You can puree it if its not smooth enough. Will keep in fridge for a week; heat before using.

Makes
2 cups

An interesting variation is to add 3-4 diced chipotles (dont add the jalapenos in this case) with the green chiles. This gives a hot, smoky green chile sauce that goes great with plain bean burritos or cheese enchiladas; it will overwhelm more complex dishes.

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