[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by logline

It looks like Carlitos is more than just a restaurant. THEY SELL ROASTED HATCH CHILE!

Ladies and gentlemen.. start your metabolisms...
Welcome - Carlito's Burritos

Albertsons should be roasting them pretty soon, and I'm pretty sure they are a lot cheaper than that. But, Albertsons has been sold to new owners that are making a lot of changes, so I hope they don't get rid of the green chili roasts. Our DIL is a manager, so I'll have to remember to ask her tomorrow.

[clutchcargo777]

Buzz, what's the best way to do this? Buy them pre-roasted then freeze them for later use or buy them un-roasted, freeze them then thaw and roast later?

[NLVgal]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

That's the one I was talking about. We went there once and the food was so bad we never went back. I can do a lot better in my own kitchen with my own green chilis that we froze from last August.

I've never been there, I was just going by the Yelp reviews.

Green chilies grow like crazy in my backyard, I threw out a ton of them last year. Next year I"ll offer them to you chili heads here on CD. I only planted one plant this year.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by clutchcargo777

Buzz, what's the best way to do this? Buy them pre-roasted then freeze them for later use or buy them un-roasted, freeze them then thaw and roast later?

I'm not sure they keep frozen if not roasted. Standing in line smelling the chilis being roasted is half the fun. Especially in the fall, and if you're in New Mexico where it is actually fall. Besides, if you try to roast them in your oven they will drive you out of your house. We'll put the empty bag back in the car for a few days after we freeze ours as an "air freshener".

We get a bag roasted and take them home and put them into sammich bags, five or six to a bag (because for two of us that's all we need to thaw at a time) then we put the small bags into large freezer bags. Much easier to take out when you want a scrambled egg burrito with a green chili on it (don't forget the sour cream).

When roasted, the skins crack but don't usually fall all the way off (some will, but no problem). Leave the skins on until ready to thaw and eat. Then you'll want to remove the skins and rinse out the seeds. But it's not the seeds that produce all that heat. It's the stringy things that hold the seeds to the pepper.

They will be heat hot so don't burn your fingers, but bag them up for freezing right away. So when you buy them make sure you have time to take them home and bag them up. We separate out the longer ones for Chili rellenos. The little ones you will want to use for chopping and sandwiches, etc.

[Buzz123]

Christina’s Chili Rellenos (from Buzz)

I have a pet peeve about chili rellenos being in batter that's too heavy. Here's the right way to make them as given to me by a Mexican/American friend from Nogales, Arizona, on the Mexican border (literally, the border runs right through the middle of town).

14 fresh green chili peppers
6 eggs
a couple of tablespoons of flour
salt & pepper to taste
Monterrey Jack Cheese

Unless you live where they roast them for you by the bushel, as we do, you have to roast the peppers to burn off the skins. Broil them and turn frequently. Try not to burn the stems as they will look very nice when you serve them. Cool them in a paper bag, then peel the skins off, and remove the seeds. Be gentle so they don't fall apart, and keep the stems (tails) on.

Separate the eggs, and beat the whites, but not too stiff, adding salt and pepper. Then add the flour (white, whole wheat does not work). Use very little flour. Then add some or all of the egg yolks, mostly for color, and beat some more.

Slice the cheese into strips, place inside the peppers, then take the peppers by the tails and dip in the batter. Fry slowly with very little oil.

The secret is not too much flour. This makes a very light batter that is delicious, but doesn't overpower the peppers like some restaurants do.

Serve with steak, and refried beans, Spanish rice, tacos, enchiladas, or as the main dish; whatever you like. Very good with sour cream on top, too.

Your big challenge will be to find Hatch, New Mexico green chilis. I hear you can find whole chilis in cans like the Ortega brand, but we use fresh (frozen) Hatch, New Mexico, Big Jims. We watch for the 18 wheeler loads to show up in the parking lot of Albertsons Super Markets, and buy a bushel that they roast for you on the spot. Then we peel them, and put them into plastic sandwich bags of 5 or 6 to a bag, then put the small bags in a large freezer bag so they don’t get freezer burn, and we have them year round. We probably eat most of them mixed with scrambled eggs or on sandwiches. Great on hamburgers. Yummmmm.

Nothing says Fall like the smell of roasting green chilis, but roasting in your oven can run you out of the house. So open all the doors and windows, and turn on the exhaust fans.  Try it, you'll like it.
Here's an informative site, and you can order peppers from them too, although I can’t believe their high prices for fresh chilis.

About Hatch NM Chili

[Buzz123]

BTW: UNM did a study to see if the going joke in that state that you become addicted to green chilis had any truth in it. They found out that eating green chilis causes the same thing as a runners high - your brain releases endorphins causing you to want more heat next time. Pretty soon, you're eating like a native - the hotter the better.

My theory is that you'll stay well too, because no germs could possibly live in a green chili environment in your body.

[logline]

I'm definitely addicted to them, but I like them as mild as possible. Too much heat burns the tongue and masks the aromatic, rich flavor which is totally unique compared to any other chile I've had. NM Hatch Chile goes well with so many different dishes: eggs, steak, chicken, casseroles, salsa, even salads.

[ElleTea]

I LOVE green chiles. Cannot get enough. Yum. A friend from Albuquerque gave me a recipe for a green chile stew that was her grandmothers. I also make a chile relleno bake that is just to die for.

[Willy702]

Originally Posted by NLVgal

I've never been there, I was just going by the Yelp reviews.

Green chilies grow like crazy in my backyard, I threw out a ton of them last year. Next year I"ll offer them to you chili heads here on CD. I only planted one plant this year.

They sadly aren't the same. To get truly authentic NM flavor the chiles have to be grown in a fairly small area of NM.

[clutchcargo777]

Thanks for the info, I'm also a big fan of Hatch Chili's but have always gotten them homemade at various friends house's. This year I will find them "in the wild" one way or another.