Green Chiles Roasting on an Open Fire
AS POLITICS GO, it was a weighty issue. About 53,000 tons, if you’re counting. That’s the amount of chile harvested in New Mexico in 2022, and the root of state Senate Bill 188, which proposed adding…
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Category: Chile
Hot Little Kiss
BEAUTIFUL TO BEHOLD AND BRIMMING WITH NUTRIENTS, blackberries become downright seductive in Besito Caliente, a zesty gourmet sauce that pairs well with just about anything. This “hot little kiss,” as…
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Haunted Heat
Holy Jolokia products are available at the Chile Pepper Institute. Photograph by Douglas Merriam. NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY’S Chile Pepper Institute helped spread the love for India’s bhut jolokia…
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Fruits of Labor
The harvest pours forth in southern New Mexico. IN THE YEAR 2020, chile, which ripens in waves, still requires picking by hand. Migrant labor is crucial, making issues of immigration and COVID-19…
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Swooning Over Salsa
Albuquerque-based Jillipepper offers a variety of chile-based salsas and dry rubs. Photograph by Douglas Merriam. Step into the salsa aisle of almost any New Mexico grocery store and the array of…
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Chile by the Numbers
ZERO TO 16 MILLION units of heat on the Scoville scale Read more from our "Ultimate Guide to New Mexico Chile" The Mystery of Big Jim A 10-year effort to restore one of New Mexico’s most…
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Preston Mitchell: A Taste of Home
Hatch Chile Store founder Preston Mitchell is dedicated to providing authentic Hatch green chile to people throughout the country. Photo courtesy of Preston Mitchell. A great-great-grandson of an…
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How to Make a Chile Ristra
Brightly colored ristras look especially nice against adobe walls. Photo by Douglas Merriam. RISTRAS OF RED CHILES provide a unique aesthetic in New Mexico. Strung into bunches (ristra is Spanish for…
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For the Love of Chile
At Bar Castañeda in Las Vegas, New Mexico, red chile fires up a plateful of wings. WRITING ABOUT NEW WAYS to use New Mexico chiles means fixing for a fight. New Mexicans love to squabble over whose…
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Recipe: Salud! de Mesilla's Chris's Vegan Bowl
Salud! de Mesilla's bowl of vegan goodness carries a punch. Photo by Douglas Merriam. Salud! de Mesilla's Chris's Vegan Bowl Serves 2 10 baby red potatoes 4 stalks broccolini 2 vegan patties, such as…
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