Green Chile Question ??????? (Socorro, Hatch: house, firm, advertise)

[yukon]

First off, let me say I'm not dissin' your wonderful local delicacy, really....I love the green ones....but.....

Why is it every place I've eaten has green ones with the texture of stewed okra?

Can't you roast one in such a way that it isn't slimy? If anyone has ever oven roasted bell peppers, eggplant or zuchini in olive oil, you'll understand the kind of texture I'm referring to. Roasted, but still with a little firm texture that lends itself to chopping up.

And can the red ones be roasted that way too, or do they always have to be powdered up and then made into a sauce?

I mean, come on, there's more than one way to cook okra, so surely there's more than one way to prepare green and red chiles?

[InTheDesert]

I think chile is different all over the state and it really depends on if they use Chile that has been in a container and frozen and unfrozen or if they are roasting their own, chopping it up, and using fresh that day. I find the slimy stuff they probably got it pre-roasted, frozen and then didn't squeeze the water out enough? Is that what you are referring to? I find Abq. and down here in Socorro to be all over the place but just down a few miles South in San Antonio they make a really fresh chopped up green chile with a crunch that will burn your tongue off but is damn addicting.

[yukon]

You hit it on the nail - it's all so watery! Like dumping chile stew over whatever you ordered. Maybe the places I've been to have been using canned chiles? Hmnnn....can you buy chiles all year and cook/bake/roast your own?

[abqsunport]

Well the way the chile is used depends on how it is prepared. The slimery watery sauces go usually on things you get smothered such as burritos or enchiladas. On a hamburger you should get a much less watery texture (try a burger at the range). So it all depends on what you order.

[desert sun]

I have never had green chile that had a crunch to it like bell peppers,and I've been eating it all my life,I dont think they are supposed to be used that way,It just isnt right in my opinion.

I've also never had red chile that had a crunch to it or diced like a green chile,its always been made into a sauce,thats how my grandma makes it and the generations before her,again this is how its supposed to be done.

[InTheDesert]

can you buy chiles all year and cook/bake/roast your own?

Yes, buy some fresh green chiles (best to get them at harvest at those stands around town or in small towns around NM) but you can buy at grocery stores year round. Roast them at your house on the grill or in your oven and then let them sweat in some plastic bags, peal them with gloves on unless you have hands like my husband's, and then chop them up and use them on burgers, etc... this site recommends if you are freezing to freeze after roasting with the skins on for a better texture....

New Mexico Chile-Roasting Green Chile Peppers

[InTheDesert]

I agree with the poster that said, green chile will never be "crunchy" like a grilled bell pepper but you can get a not-so-slimy texture if you use freshly roasted chopped up chiles straight onto your food without cooking them into a sauce.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by yukon

First off, let me say I'm not dissin' your wonderful local delicacy, really....I love the green ones....but.....

Why is it every place I've eaten has green ones with the texture of stewed okra?

Can't you roast one in such a way that it isn't slimy? If anyone has ever oven roasted bell peppers, eggplant or zuchini in olive oil, you'll understand the kind of texture I'm referring to. Roasted, but still with a little firm texture that lends itself to chopping up.

And can the red ones be roasted that way too, or do they always have to be powdered up and then made into a sauce?

I mean, come on, there's more than one way to cook okra, so surely there's more than one way to prepare green and red chiles?

I know exactly what you mean....

I used to have my chiles shipped from Hatch to West Texas....and I roasted my own on a stovetop grill just barely enough to be able to slip the skin off later. I put them in cold water/on ice to stop the cooking...then removed stems, placed in vacuum-seal bags of 6, and frozen whole, skin on.

This year, since I am in NM....I went to Lowe's....got a 25-lb bag, and had them roasted on the spot. Surprise...I don't like them done this way. They are overcooked and slimy, too soft. They do have a good flavor, but I'll be using what I have left for soup/stew/sauces only.

You can roast the red just like the green...I've also done this, and made rellenos from them. They're sweeter, of course, as reds.

I am experimenting with freezing raw whole...and defrosting/roasting. While they are softer done this way, they are vastly better/far crisper than roasted to death in a drum roaster.

The best way IS to just buy fresh and roast yourself, but you will be buying chiles from Mexico/California when New Mexican greens are out of season. The flavor of the New Mexicans are far better.....but I still prefer a thick, crisp chile to one that is over-roasted.

I use them raw in salads, too.....

[NadiaP]

I would take it crunchy or slimy or any other way right now. Just moved to NC and you cant get it here!! Seriously, if you ask for it they point you to the jalepeno aisle! And the restaurant that advertises chile relleno makes it with a bell pepper....I kid you not...a bell pepper. Im gonna die.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by NadiaP

I would take it crunchy or slimy or any other way right now. Just moved to NC and you cant get it here!! Seriously, if you ask for it they point you to the jalepeno aisle! And the restaurant that advertises chile relleno makes it with a bell pepper....I kid you not...a bell pepper. Im gonna die.

You do have my sympathy, NadiaP......