Hamburger Green Chile

When you raise eleven children, you learn to stretch a dollar. Yes, Kevin is one of eleven children. When people hear that, they laughingly ask if his parents are Catholic. I wonder. Does the younger generation know the humor in that? I am dating myself...

Anyway, Kevin ate a lot of beans, fried potatoes, and hamburger green chile growing up. He still craves this meal every now and then. There's comfort in food that we're raised with. Nobody will ever make this as good as his mother. All of us in-laws have tried, and we always fall short. There's something to be said for taking the same ingredients and cooking them the same way by different people, and ending up with different tasting meals. We all stamp our meals with our own personalities.

This hamburger chile is best served with fried potatoes, pinto beans, and tortillas with butter. Just like Kevin ate it while growing up.

I roasted some Anaheim chile on the grill, charring on all sides and then immediately placing them into a baggie and wrapping in a kitchen towel to steam. Let them steam at least thirty minutes. The skins should then easily rub off.

Run a knife through the skinned chile. Remove the seeds for a milder flavor, or leave them in for a little heat.

Chop an onion. 

Brown a pound of ground beef in a skillet. Add chile and onion, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. 

When the onions are cooked but still firm, sprinkle flour over the top. Mix it in. It will be dry. Cook the flour for a minute. 

Add water to thin. I have heard of a can of tomatoes and chile's being added at this point, too. Try it both ways, and see what you think. 

His brother declares that he would eat this with eggs every morning if he had it. Either way, it's as tasty as it is simple.

Hamburger Green Chile

• 8 or 9 large Anaheim Chiles, roasted, skinned, and charred; or (3) 4oz cans of Hatch Green Chiles
• 1 medium onion, red, yellow, or white. Use what you have
• 1 lb ground beef
• salt to taste - approximately 2t
• pepper to taste - approximately 2t
• onion powder to taste - approximately 1T
• garlic powder to taste - approximately 1T
• 1/4 C flour
• Water - approximately 1C

1. Prep chile, coarse chop
2. Coarse chop onion
3. Brown ground beef
4. Add chile, onion, and seasonings
5. Cook until onion is still slightly firm - approximately 5 minutes
6. Sprinkle flour over the top, stir it in, cook for a minute or two
7. Add water to thin to your desired consistency
8. Cook over medium heat five more minutes
9. Enjoy in a bowl; with pinto beans, fried potatoes, and tortillas; or with fried eggs

Even though I love using fresh garlic, I use dehydrated here for posterity!