LET’S TALK TO FRED MULLER ABOUT...
chiles
How did you get interested
in chiles?
Are your customers at El
Meze equally interested?
Yes. They enjoy learning about
how certain dishes and flavors were
developed and how chiles are a major
factor in the cuisine here.
How do chiles figure into
dishes at the restaurant?
We use both red and green chiles in
sauces traditional to New Mexico as
flavor accents and as main courses.
Examples of dishes are Roasted
Poblano Chile Relleno and Buffalo
Tamale with Green Chile.
PHOTO CREDIT: Top, Lenny Foster; bottom, Nikesha Breeze
Do you have favorites, or do
you use many varieties?
We use a variety of chiles, but I do
have my favorites. I make a chile paste
out of dried mulato, ancho and pasilla
chiles that I use as a flavor accent in
dishes to give them a deep, rich, earthy
flavor. I also use Hatch green chiles in
the sauce that I put over the Buffalo
Tamale with Green Chile.
Talk about how you discover
their properties and uses.
I do a lot of research before—and after—
along with recipe experimentation and
tasting a lot of chiles.
What are some challenges
of working with them?
Chiles vary from season to season.
You can assume—but you really don’t
know—what, exactly, you are getting.
One time, they can be mild, and the next
time, the same variety of chile will be hot.
How many varieties of
chiles are there?
There are hundreds of different
chiles grown for both dried and fresh
applications all over the world. If you
focus on New Mexico, there are at least 12
varieties that come from the original New
Mexico chile, and more than a dozen other
kinds, such as jalapeños, that are not from
New Mexico but are grown here.
Which chiles would you
advise for those exploring
their use for the first time?
Those who wish to begin using chiles
in their cooking need to consider the
chile’s characteristics (hot, spicy, sweet,
mild), as well as the outcome they are
looking for. There is really no one chile
easier to work with than another. So it
basically all comes down to the flavor
and the heat desired.
Any further advice?
Always wear disposable latex gloves
when you are working with chiles.
The oil can get in your pores and stay
there for a couple days, which will
sting and burn if you touch your eyes.
Also, experiment with many varieties
of chiles—both dried and fresh—to
discover their properties. C
FRED MULLER IS EXECU TIVE CHEF/CO-PARTNER AT EL MEZE
RES TAURAN T, EL PRADO, N.M. HE IS ALSO A FOOD HISTORIAN
AND AU THOR.
