Hola!
Sing along with me.
It’s good to touch the green, green chiles of home
Yes, they’ll all come to meet me, arms reaching, smiling sweetly
It’s good to touch the green, green chiles of home.
OK…I did stretch the lyrics of that old country song, “the green, green grass of home” a bit, but when I start pulling fresh frozen green chiles from my freezer, trust me, ….they will all come to meet me, arms reaching, smiling sweetly in anticipation of another wonderful dish using green chiles from Hatch, New Mexico.
I love this time of year because I know it is chile time in New Mexico and I am not talking about the weather.
I’m talking about those wonderful aromatic green and red chiles that grow in the valley.
I don’t think there are any chiles like it, anywhere else, than the land of enchantment.
I order my chiles directly from Hatch and I have always preferred the slim jims.
You know, like some of you prefer a home grown beefsteak or big boy tomato?
Yeah!
Like that.
On the day that my two 10 pound boxes arrive by UPS…the aroma of the green chiles permeates my kitchen and I have to immediately roast a few and make either green chile stew or green chile hamburgers.
And if I close my eyes, I am back in New Mexico on our ranch in the Manzano Mountains.
I know, right?
I really miss all our friends and family and all the good real Mexican food.
And then I go to roasting the chiles and putting them in freezer bags for future use.
Trust me when I tell you there is nothing like fresh green chiles direct from the growing fields.
Those in the super market just don’t measure up.
No flavor…bland.
I love the hot to semi hot green chiles.
AND….I prefer charring the chiles over a gas stove rather than using my oven broiler because cooking directly over the flame chars the peel faster and doesn’t overcook the chile “meat” inside.
However, if you are in a hurry, you can place the chiles on a sheet pan lined with foil or parchment paper and broil the chiles until blackened. Turn them over and repeat the process.
After charring the chiles, I place them into a bowl (or plastic bag) and put a plate or a piece of foil over them to allow the chiles to steam.
This helps in removing the charred skin/peel.
After steaming the chiles for at least 10 minutes, remove the chile sfrom the bowl and peel away the charred skin.
I do this over kitchen sink because it can get a bit messy…but don’t expose the chiles to running water. I think it affects the flavor.
Sometimes when removing the charred pieces, the chile may expose the seeds and veins or you may have to actually slice into the chile in order to remove the insides and stems.
You can also scrape with the back of your knife or use a spoon to remove the seeds.
Oh, and if you have no control over your fingers and where you place them…such as your eyes or mouth or any other delicate body parts, I suggest you wear plastic gloves during this cleaning process.
Over the years. I’ve learned to not touch any areas of my body that can not stand the heat …if you know what I mean. 🙂
The cleaned chiles go into a labeled freezer bag and I am ready for any authentic Mexican dish.
To see a recipe for green chile sauce…click here.
I have several recipes from New Mexico, check out a green chile cheeseburger recipe here.
And I think of my sweet sister-in-law who still lives with her family in Moriarity.
She has taught me so many recipes and I can still hear her laugh when I say to her….show me how you did that.
I’ve learned to make Bizcochitos, home made tortillas, tamales, posole, red and green chile, sopapillias and…well, you get the picture.
Time to eat some pinto beans cooked with garlic, ham hock, onions and of course…green chiles.
Yummy!
Have a Blessed Day.
bonnie morgan says
I must forward this to my DIL who would love your technique. Sadly, I can’t eat peppers now of any kind.
I agree anything fresh from the garden can’t be beat. How nice you can freeze peppers and enjoy memories of your days in New Mexico.
Kari says
thanks Bonnie…so sorry you can’t eat peppers, but you are not alone, many can’t. But for those of us who can…it is Katie bar the barn door and keep ’em coming. LOL
the Painted Apron says
I bet those fresh chilies are wonderful! I will never forget the taste of pineapple right from the field in Hawaii, so different from the fresh pineapples we have on the mainland…nothing is better than farm to table!
Jenna
Kari says
Thanks Jenna, you are so right about freshness. thanks for stopping by.
Nancy says
I enjoy green chili sauce! I thank you for showing us how to do this. I also just pinned your green chili sauce recipe to my Pinterest Board.
Kari says
thanks Nancy…I enjoy the green and the red chile both. thanks for pinning.