Chris Butler/cbutler@idahostatesman.com
“On the surface of it, the practice of eating peppers appears preposterous,” says author Amal Naj in his aptly named book “Peppers.”
He goes on to detail how the Incas used dried chilies as weapons against the invading Spanish, how the British rubbed peppers into the eyes of mutinous slaves, and how Iraqi soldiers tormented Kuwaiti captives by forcing them to sit on hot sauce . . . naked. Nevertheless, Naj says, a good quarter of the world’s people voluntarily eat, if not crave, hot peppers.
Mark Jensen is one of them. An Idaho native, he fell for green chili stew 30 years ago while working in Wyoming after a New Mexican living there introduced him to the dish. Jensen fiddled with his own recipe for years. When he got it right, it became a family favorite. And while trying to dream up a new business the family could join in on, Jensen decided on a restaurant showcasing that beloved and sometimes weapons-grade vegetable, the chili pepper.
Jensen, his daughter, Mary, and two sons, Mark and Nick, opened The Green Chile on West State Street in Boise last May. They put together a menu that has chilies splashed all over it. There are chimichangas, enchiladas, burritos and taco salads all slathered with either of Jensen’s homemade green or red pepper sauces. They’ve even got vegetarian versions sans the pork and beef.
I’d suggest starting off with the fuel that powers this place: a Bowl of Green ($7.95). It’s the stuff that got Jensen into Southwest cuisine and comes in a heavy white crock. A glistening, swamp-green bowl of stewed Anaheim chilies, diced pork shoulder, bits of red pepper and a smattering beans, it’s topped with melted cheese, diced onions, sliced jalapenos and a dollop of sour cream. If I were a more effusive writer, or maybe from Texas, I might call it a big bowl of spicy love. Instead I’ll go with darned good chili. It’s rich, silky, slightly acidic and tolerably spicy. With the tortillas that come with it, it’s also a meal in itself – although I’d order some of the amazingly pillowy sopapaillas ($5.95) as a killer accompaniment.
The Bowl of Red ($7.95) is the dried ancho version. Because red chilies are the ripe version of green chilies (like red apples are to green), they have a mellower, sweeter, more autumnal flavor. Jensen’s red chili is less spicy than his green. Starting with bottom round the family slow-cooks overnight and whole anchos they grind themselves, that red ends up delicious, if leaning more toward your typical bowl of chili.
What isn’t typical is the red chili gravy you can order with chips ($2.95). It’s that same dried ancho base but without the meat, sauteed with a flour roux into a smooth sauce thick enough to coat a tortilla chip. Jensen says it’s a Texas tradition and that gravy has a big, fat flavor that could make styrofoam taste good.
Situated as it is in the commercial craziness of outer State Street, The Green Chile has a strip mall feel, thanks to a bright plastic sign out front and a room that’s comfortable, if too plain to call cozy.
It’s not the ambiance, though, that keeps pulling me back. It’s that chili. And whether splashed over stacked enchiladas ($9.95), the chili rellenos ($9.95, and rolled in a corn tortilla rather than an egg batter) or the taco salad ($8.95), if there’s green or red on it, I’ve happily slurped it up. A
ll those entrees, I should mention, come with cumin scented rice, homemade beans (with bits of bacon) and sauteed veggies that rise above the cookie-cutter sides at less principled burrito joints.
The Green Chile may serve Southwestern cuisine created by an Idahoan who learned to make it in Wyoming, but memorable food often follows a crooked path. A good recipe, after all, is born from adaptation, elaboration and, frequently, more than a few chilies.
For full story go to: http://www.idahostatesman.com/foodanddrink/story/895200.html
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Guy Hand is a writer, public radio producer and photographer specializing in food and agriculture. |
I love the food, it was very good tonight, I love it when my husband takes me, its a little far from our home.
Well tonight the food was great, it was our service that was bad, 1st I asked for lemon in my water, no lemon no big deal, I had to ask for a refill, then she took our coupon, at the end of our meal she gave us our bill, I had asked if we still get the sopapillas, she said that the cooks were busy and that we would have to wait a long time to get it, we would’ve waited, but it looked like she didnt want to us to order, so then we go to pay, and I noticed she didnt give us our discount, buy and get the second half off. I mention to the cashier that our discount was not on the bill, so he said he would take care of it. Its sad that the food was so good, but it turned the evening to a not so good night out, cause of the service. To be honest, we will be back, cause I do love the food, but I hope we dont get the same wait person.