It's Chile Season

Just got done with roasting 15 pounds of fresh Hatch green chile's They were so good I have 10 more pounds on the way. They are from dagiftbasket.com Exclent service and great price ($1.25 per #) Just thought I'd pass this along as I have never recived such great service and fresh product. I think I ate a pound while roasting. Just like candy.

Mr.Chris wrote:Just got done with roasting 15 pounds of fresh Hatch green chile's They were so good I have 10 more pounds on the way. They are from dagiftbasket.com Exclent service and great price ($1.25 per #) Just thought I'd pass this along as I have never recived such great service and fresh product. I think I ate a pound while roasting. Just like candy.

I've got an order coming in soon. I'm looking forward to it. I've heard a lot of praise about dagiftbasket.

Does anybody have any good recipes?

Chris, Bruce,

I first encountered Hatch chilis while in Sante Fe last year. I had never heard of them before and its not like I have been under a rock.

From looking at Da Gift Basket, I can't tell is this a brand or a type of chile. Regardless, looks like I need to place an order soon.

More information would be appreciated.

Thanx
pd

pdaane wrote:Chris, Bruce,

I first encountered Hatch chilis while in Sante Fe last year. I had never heard of them before and its not like I have been under a rock.

From looking at Da Gift Basket, I can't tell is this a brand or a type of chile. Regardless, looks like I need to place an order soon.

More information would be appreciated.

Thanx
pd

My understanding is they are more of a brand of chile. Probably similar in concept to "Vidalia" onions. IOW, the particular environment around Hatch, NM enhances the quality and/or flavor of the chiles. I have never purchased nor eaten them so I can't comment on anything. Several people on the internet who I respect highly recommend the chiles One or two of which should be in GA. during our visit in October.

Yes, the smell of roasting chiles is in the air here in Santa Fe. This year's crop is especially good. Great chiles are grown all over NM, they don't have to have the Hatch designation. Plenty that claim to be Hatch chiles really aren't. The best ones I've had lately have been sold and roasted at the local farmers' market and are from a farm outside of Espanola in northern NM. Squash blossoms are also in season and there is nothing so grand as a saute of squash, squash blossoms, roasted chiles, and sweet corn kernals with some cream mexicana. I made NM tempuera the other day with squash blossoms and roasted chiles.

Bill/SFNM

A side note, if you don't want to roast your own and then make the green chile (with pork, of course) then order some from Durango Diner in Durango, Colorado. When I lived there I was at the Diner every weekend for The Cure. Hashbrowns, Chorizo, Cheese, Eggs, and smothered with Green Chile.

Anyway, they ship. They even shipped to me in London this christmas.

Yum http://www.durangodiner.com

Leah

Hi,

When you are referring to roasting chilies, what does it really mean? When it is hot chilies, what does it do for the heat?

When red peppers are available in September, I will roast peppers to char and loosen the skin. As they finish, I will drop them into a paper bag for the steamed heat to continue loosening the skins, then I pinch off the skin. Are we talking the same thing? (I use the peppers to make a sauce which I preserve, so I will do 1-2 bushels)

BTW - I also will roast eggplant over a grill to simultaneously cook as well as loosen the skin. I didn't do it myself but I had a very good, smokey baba ghanoush at lunch today. Roasting the eggplant over fire adds a flavor dimension, which liquid smoke cannot match.

Thanks!

Cathy2 wrote:When you are referring to roasting chilies, what does it really mean? When it is hot chilies, what does it do for the heat?

When red peppers are available in September, I will roast peppers to char and loosen the skin. As they finish, I will drop them into a paper bag for the steamed heat to continue loosening the skins, then I pinch off the skin. Are we talking the same thing?

Yes, we are talking about the same thing. At the roadside stands and outside of supermarkets, large cylindrical cages are filled with chiles and rotated over a gas flame until the chiles are black and blistered. They are then put in a plastic bag and by the time you get home, they have steamed enough for easy removal of the skin.

For chiles which are to be frozen, it is generally thought that the skin should be left on to better protect the flavor. Also, removal of skin on thawed chiles is easier.

The heat of the chiles is not affected since the heat is concentrated in the veins and also in the seeds by virture of their proximity to the venis.

I prefer to bring home fresh chiles. I burn pecan logs down to coals and roast the chiles on a grate as quickly as possibly. The trick is to blister the skin without cooking the chile.

Bill/SFNM

Bill,

Please send address, I'm checking flights


pd

p.s.,

Thanks all for the clarification, I only spent a day in Santa Fe, but I was exposed to the word "Hatch" on several occasions, including menus. Now that I know it is analogous to "Vidalia", I have a better understanding.

So, being new to New Mexico, i too walk around the markets and supermarkets and see the 30 pound bags of fresh chiles for 10 bucks, but i'm a little baffled as to what you do with them. i do like the taste of freshly roasted chiles any day of the week, but i'm unsure how to incorporate them into my cooking, short of making your standard enchiladas or mixing them in other Mexican/New Mexican cuisine.
any suggestions or recipes?

ParkerS wrote:but i'm unsure how to incorporate them into my cooking, short of making your standard enchiladas or mixing them in other Mexican/New Mexican cuisine.
any suggestions or recipes?

I like to use them in place of roasted red peppers. For example, I just made an Argentine chimichurri steak sauce which calls for lots of roasted red peppers. I simply replaced them with roasted NM chiles which added a great new dimension. Also, this time of year with all of the fresh tomatoes, I like to make salads based on the caprese classic. Along with tomatoes, basil, mozarella, olive oil, etc. I also like to slip in some fresh roasted chiles. Do you like chicken paprikesh? Toss in some roasted chiles for an interesting boost. One can easily get carried away. Moi?

Bill/SFNM

ParkerS wrote:So, being new to New Mexico, i too walk around the markets and supermarkets and see the 30 pound bags of fresh chiles for 10 bucks, but i'm a little baffled as to what you do with them. i do like the taste of freshly roasted chiles any day of the week, but i'm unsure how to incorporate them into my cooking, short of making your standard enchiladas or mixing them in other Mexican/New Mexican cuisine.
any suggestions or recipes?

The Tex-Mex Cookbook by Robb Walsh has some good recipes and ideas. You might check it out at a library and then you could buy it if you like it. A nice mail source for books is New Books Cheap David Spriggs the owner specializes in cooking books with reasonable prices.