New Mexico Foods (Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Hatch: restaurant, moving, food)

[Towanda]

jsc23 ... none of that sound very appetizing!

[droys]

Don't forget all of the wonderful salsa's. And Indain bread.

Chiles are very addicting. We travel 400 miles a year just to get our freezer filled.

[jsc23]

Originally Posted by Towanda

jsc23 ... none of that sound very appetizing!

They're better than they sound...
Especially panocha... think Malt O'Meal, made with milk, sugar and spices, then baked in a slow oven until the sugar caramelizes...one of those "simple to learn, hard to master" recipes, unbelievably good when made by a patient, good cook.

[GregW]

My wife just found a bar of Lindt's choclate with red chilli. yummii.

[mike0421]

How about Green Chile Beer from Eske's in Taos?

[desert sun]

The candy lady has red chile fudge, and senor murphys in the mall has red chili brittle.

[Cathy4017]

In years past, I used to order my green chile by specific variety (usually half NM 6-4 and half Sandía) from Las Uvas Produce in Hatch. I'd roast about 40 pounds stovetop....it took awhile, but it was worth it in the end.

Last summer, I bought a 25-lb box of mild green chile from Hatch, and the chile was fairly fresh and decent...BUT......I had it roasted on the spot at Lowe's....took it home....and vacuum-sealed it....and into the freezer.

I made a pot of green chile stew for supper...and while it is good, I really don't care for green chile roasted this way, even though it is a convenient time-saver.

The drum roasting cooks the chile too much for me....the charred skin is harder to get off....and the chiles are slimy and too soft.

I have tried quick frying them...and while this works well for chiles that you are going to use immediately, it's not so great when you want to bag and freeze for the season. Deep, quick frying them preserves the great color, and the chiles stay fairly fresh and firm......but you can taste the grease when you thaw them, even though you peel them before bagging.

I guess I'll be doing them by hand next season, so I can have a thick, fresh chile...rather than an overcooked, slimy one...

*SIGH*

I am considering buying a small home drum roaster....has anyone here ever tried one?

[jsc23]

Originally Posted by Cathy4017

*SIGH*

I am considering buying a small home drum roaster....has anyone here ever tried one?

Chiles can be frozen with the skin on ( takes a bit more space), thawed and roasted as needed. Each season, I buy about 50 lbs of a heritage strain from a grower in Anton Chico.I usually roast a bunch over a smoky pinon/juniper fire in my firepit, but this is time consuming so I also freeze a bunch whole. They thaw quickly and can be roasted in a cast iron skillet, in a medium oven, over a gas burner etc. Another option is to build an horno and roast in there. Drum roasters, because of the high, dry heat, tend to break down the cell walls in the chiles' flesh. So the flesh shrinks from moisture loss, but gets a slimy texture because of the loss of "tooth".

Though it's tedious, you can't beat the flavor of slow wood fire roasted green chiles kissed with p/j smoke....

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by jsc23

Chiles can be frozen with the skin on ( takes a bit more space), thawed and roasted as needed. Each season, I buy about 50 lbs of a heritage strain from a grower in Anton Chico.I usually roast a bunch over a smoky pinon/juniper fire in my firepit, but this is time consuming so I also freeze a bunch whole. They thaw quickly and can be roasted in a cast iron skillet, in a medium oven, over a gas burner etc. Another option is to build an horno and roast in there. Drum roasters, because of the high, dry heat, tend to break down the cell walls in the chiles' flesh. So the flesh shrinks from moisture loss, but gets a slimy texture because of the loss of "tooth".

Though it's tedious, you can't beat the flavor of slow wood fire roasted green chiles kissed with p/j smoke....

You mean that you can take whole, raw fresh chile...freeze.....and then thaw, roast and peel as you go?

WOW. I thought that they would be impossible to peel if you did that. I am going to have to try this before next season with the green chiles that are available from Mexico and California....!!! They're not as good as the NM varieties, but the principle is the same.

The last couple of years I didn't buy a big bag....just bought what was seasonally available fresh (and that means all year around in TX)....and roasted them right before I use them. Slimy, soft chiles are ok for sauces and stew, but not for rellenos. I just liked the fresh taste and thick, firm walls of the chile much better this way.

I also have a new electric grill that I am going to try this season. I used to char them over a mesquite fire in my charcoal grill....and while tasty, it WAS very time-consuming.

Thanks for the info...I'll be sure and try this. Space is not much of an issue, as I have a freezer out in the garage.

[domino]

I roast them and then freeze them with the skin, stems, and seeds still intact. I peel as I go when I get them out of the freezer. It makes the whole process a little less intimidating when dealing with large volumes.