Green Chile-Ancho Vinaigrette

We recently returned from a trip to Santa Fe, which happens to be my favorite place on earth.  It was 4 magical days of eating some of the best cuisine America has to offer.  If you haven't tried adding green chile to your diet, then you have been missing out.  Last summer I was lucky enough to to stumble across a bottle of green chile-infused olive oil from Chile.  We use it on just about everything.  My only regret is not buying an entire case.  My brother-in-law is a chef in Denver, and when he heard we were going to be in Santa Fe he asked us to find some "chile salt" for him.  On our last day in Santa Fe, we wandered into the neatest store called Oleaceae because the Himalayan salt blocks in the window caught our eye, and we knew we could find the aforementioned chile salt.  Not only did the store have dozens of salts on hand, they had urn upon urn of infused oils and vinegars to sample as well.  My favorite was the Ancho Chile Vinegar.  It's light, almost sweet, and full of peppery flavor.  I couldn't wait to get back home to the kitchen and experiment with it.  With the green chile olive oil on hand, a vinaigrette seemed like the obvious choice.  We often make our own sauces and dressings here, and I have to say this is my new favorite.  It's slightly tangy, with just a hint of kick from the green chile and ancho pepper.  All the flavors of the Southwest, right on your salad!

The flavors of the Southwest, captured on a salad!

Olave Extra Virgin Olive Oil Green Chili:  http://www.olave.cl/
Oleaceae Ancho Fruit Vinegar-Artisan Crafted:  http://www.oleaceaeoliveoil.com/
If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend a visit to the Oleaceae Shop in Santa Fe.
If you are planning a trip, send me an email.  I'd love to share our favorite places with you!

Green Chile-Ancho Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons green chile olive oil
1 tablespoon ancho vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1 clove garlic

Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor until emulsified, and garlic is very fine.  Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to 3 days. 

I served the Green Chile-Ancho Vinaigrette tossed with mixed spring greens, fresh feta cheese, dried cranberries and croutons.  Enjoy!

PS:  We were able to find several infused salts for my brother-in-law.  The most intriguing was the Sriracha Salt.  I can't wait to hear what he comes up with using that!