Serve by Design

“Do you want green or red with that?” I can remember the first time I was asked that question! I was eating in a New Mexican restaurant in Santa Fe, NM. It was my lunch break while attending a training conference at Glorieta. I was stumped at first and simply asked, “Could I get those on the side?!” I did not have the foggiest idea what that question really meant. But, these many years later, I can now say emphatically, “I know how tasty green chiles are!” Truth be told, I have fallen into “culinary love” with the chile pepper!! This may sound sick, but I dream about green chiles! I even grow them in my backyard box! Now, I have family that prefer processed red chiles, but I do not share their passion for the red! Green is my choice! I’ve ordered jars of them from Weck’s, my favorite breakfast and lunch restaurant, and had them mailed to me by the case! I like green chiles in my scrambled eggs, layered in a beef and cheese-filled tortilla casserole dish, and combined along with relish...

I can't think about coming out to Albuquerque and not think about my favorite condiment... green chiles! New Mexicans love their chiles and debate the merits of "red" versus "green." These are variations of the same chile pepper. The red are ripened from the green. I love the green chile and when it is perfected in a delicious roux, I think, "It is to die for!" I can remember my first experience with chiles and I was lost in the experience. I had come out to New Mexico for a church growth conference at Glorieta twenty-years ago and took an afternoon to go into nearby Sante Fe for lunch and a walk around the downtown area. I stopped at a restaurant on the way in and ordered what I thought was going to be a Tex Mex kind of entree' but was shortly confused by the server's question, "green or red?" I was too embarrassed to admit my ignorance. I think I said, "No thanks!" And I wished today that I could recall her surprised rea...