In town yesterday, I was surprised at my good fortune to be able to catch the end of the chile roasting season. I took these photos to share with those of you who live afar and have heard me rattle on about this in past postings.
You purchase your gunny sack of chiles in the grocery store, and included in the price is the cost of having them roasted in the gas fired rotating cylinders outside. Then, according to your individual experience or tradition, you take them home and put them up for use all winter. There are probably as many preferred methods for doing this as there are varieties of chiles. My preference is to load them in a black plastic bag fresh from the roaster, and take them home and let them sit for a while as they continue to blister a bit more. When completely cooled, I put them up in small quantities (4-6 chiles per bag) in freezer quality sandwich size zip bags and freeze them until they are needed. I have found it's just as easy to peel the remaining peels off as they defrost as it is to do them all before freezing them.
Having said that...my first fall in NM, in a little village called Chimayo, I was under close supervision and much help from my neighbor, who assured me I shouldn't have the chiles roasted at the store, but should do them at home on my own gas grill. Well...that was an experience to remember. After inhaling the fumes all day, somewhere during the peeling and bagging process, my hands started feeling on fire from the chile juices. It was just insanely painful. It was never quite clear to me if she really did them that way also, if she had Teflon hands, or if she just had a good laugh on the new neighbor's expense. Whatever the case, while I love to smell them roasting in town, most years, I just buy them already cooked, frozen, and chopped at the grocery when I need them!
8 comments:
If I close my eyes and think real hard, I can almost conjure up a whiff of green chile roasting. You're right . . . it is heavenly.
I know...I so wished you could have been here for this. I was really thinking of you when I took these photos and posted them...
My mouth was already watering before I even read the post. I just knew there was going to be something about chilis when I opened the blog today. OH MY GOSH! I could eat them as is......I am starving for some green chilis!!!! I have about had enough of the teasing from NM. I need to come for a visit. ( haha )
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm thank you Martie for the wonderful visual.
Ter'e: I know what you mean! I'm eating so much of it while I'm here, I probably won't want to think about it for, say, a week or two after I get back to CA. (grin)
Brenda and I were at the Farmer's Market in Santa Fe over the Labor Day holiday. They were roasting chilis. Smells so good. Really pleasant morning at the market. Bought a lot of supplies to bring back to Texas.
I have never been, but imagine it's a great farmer's market. Nothing like a good farmer's market in the fall, is there? I've spent a good part of today freezing squash and corn from the garden up here...that really makes it feel like fall. I love putting food up, it feels so right, somehow. Wrong word but the best I have right now!
Oh chiles...I love them....I am imagining that I am in NM inhaling them now. Oh I wish I were there! That is a cute story about when you were in Chimayo. I have made the same mistake and boy is it painful! Ouch!
Liz: I'm sorry to hear you had to go through it, too, but the little devil inside me is happy to hear I'm not the only person who has had it happen! :0)
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