Green Chile Smother Sauce

This green chile smother sauce was created for a good friend after we went to a Mexican restaurant and fell in love with their smother sauce. The Mexican restaurant is a little hole in the wall across the street from the DMV. You wouldn’t think much of that little restaurant if you were just driving by, but those that know it love it. The burritos come stuffed full of ingredients, making them bigger than anyone person could ever really need. And key to this story, each burrito gets coated in smother sauce.

What is smother sauce, you ask? Well, it’s a sauce, for smothering. But it can be used in a kajillion ways (I’ll share some ideas later in this post). Mostly, it’s a spicy sauce that you can pour over burritos, tacos, eggs—really anything. 

After eating at this restaurant, we realized smothered burritos didn’t have to be restaurant-only food. Why not make our own smother sauce? That’s how this happened. Introducing Green Chile Smother Sauce.

This green chili sauce is really similar to what you would use in my Pork Chile Verde. The difference is that this smother sauce can be used in 1,000,001 ways. It is a dip for chips when you want something zesty and tangy. It is the drizzle your eggs need in the morning. It is the sauce to smother every burrito, tamale, and taco with. Basically, it is everything. Still need ideas for how to use it? 

• Green enchilada sauce (do you have leftover turkey still? Enchiladas are the answer)

• Green eggs in purgatory

• A hot sauce for your breakfast (fried eggs or omellete)

• Serve as a salsa

• Slow Cooker Pork Chile Verde (use this sauce in place of the tomatillo, onion, garlic blend that the recipe calls for: they are pretty much the same thing)

• A starter for guacamole

• A smother sauce for burritos

...just to name a few.

The secret to making the sauce is roasting the tomatillos, onion, and garlic before you blend it up. That gives it a slow cooked smoky flavor that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to achieve. It cuts some of the tartness of the tomatillos. Then all you have to do is throw it in the blender and purée it. I use this blender (affiliate link)! And then you eat it, however you damn well please. That’s it! Easy peasy. 

Green Chile Smother Sauce

Published November 21, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Serves: 6   |    Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 8 medium sized tomatillos
• 4 cloves garlic 
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 2 cans hatch green chiles (I use the hot ones, but feel free to use mild if you prefer)
• 1/2 cup cilantro 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Juice of 1 lime 
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano

Directions:

1. Preheat your over to 475°F. Peel the papery outer skins from the tomatillos, wash them, and slice them in half. Cut the onion into 4 to 6 large wedges. Arrange them all on a sheet pan along with the garlic cloves. Brush with 1 tablespoon avocado oil, and place in oven. Roast until the tops of the tomatillos are browned, 10-15 minutes.
2. Add roasted tomatillos, onions, and garlic to a blender along with canned green chiles, cilantro, lime, spices (cumin, coriander, oregano, and optional cayenne), salt, and pepper. Puree. Mixture should be similar to a less chunky salsa.
3. Store sauce in jars until ready to use. Stays good in fridge for 1 week.

Ecuadorian Garlic-Chile Dipping Oil

La Casa de la Abuela is a restaurant with weathered wood tables and a big covered patio. It sits on the main road of La Union, a small town that doesn't even leave a mark on the Google Map of Ecuador. There, in that little town, I experienced the best meal I ate in Ecuador, despite the road noise.

One of the first things that was brought to the table was sliced fresh tomatoes with basil and a drizzle of garlicky, herby oil. There was something about that oil that made those tomatoes shine! Next arrival to the table was a big bowl of seemed muscles and clams, without a doubt freshly caught that morning. We drizzled the same garlic oil over each clam shell in delight. Was it the clams that were stellar or just the oil? Or both? 

We took turns guessing how they made the oil, until finally the owner and chef came to the table, bearing a jar full of the stuff, and the list of the ingredients. 

Just garlic, parsley, and red chiles in olive oil will give you a taste of that night in Ecuador. Drizzle it freely over seafood, dress a caprese salad, use it to make a salad dressing, or drip your favorite bread into it. 🤤

Ecuadorian Garlic-Chile Dipping Oil

Published August 8, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Yields: 1 cup   |    Total Time: 15 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 fresno chile (in Ecuador, they would use a small red chile called Pico de Pájaro, but I am unable to find that locally)
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Mince garlic, fresno chile and parsley and place in jar.
2. Add salt and oil, to jar. Allow to sit covered, in fridge, for 24 hours so that the flavors seep into the oil.
3. Use as a drizzle or dipping oil.

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Hello there! If you are a regular reader of this blog, you might be surprised to be hearing from me today. You've probably noticed I post recipes twice a week, and almost never on the weekend. But here I am, posting a recipe on the weekend. 

Most of you are probably reading this long after I hit "publish" of course, and it could be any day of the week. Hello to you as well! 👋

This last week, I was working on a recipe for a Spicy Watermelon and Avocado Salad (it is killer BTW), and teased it on my Instagram account. And you guys were excited! And I am too. Must I explain why? The dish contains the words watermelon, avocado, and spicy. THREE things worth getting excited about! 

I realized however that the dressing for this salad is a lip-smacking tang-master flavor bomb on it's own, and something that shouldn't just be limited to one salad. You know how people hate being put into little boxes? This dressing hates that too. And of course it does! Have a summery salad that needs some lift? This dressing. Found yourself with a burrito bowl in need of a bit more sauce? This dressing. About to eat an avocado with a spoon? You guessed it, a drizzle of this over top will take it over the edge. 

So here it is, the Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette that is the star of todays show. Come back on Thursday for the main event: Spicy Watermelon and Avocado Salad! 

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Published June 24, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

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Best friends with avocados, burrito bowls, and roasted corn.

Serves: 4   |    Total Time: 10 minutes

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Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1/16 teaspoon each salt & pepper 
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for 1 minute, until emulsified. Pour over a salad or store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week. Enjoy!

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