If only someone could bottle the aroma of roasting green chiles in the Desert Southwest! Labor Day Weekend signals the start of Green Chile Season.. Large boxes of fresh green chiles are stacked in produce departments of local supermarkets, ready for purchase by dyed in the wool green chile lovers.
My husband Wayne and I are among those chile devotees who feel that we must have at least 25 lbs. of roasted and peeled green chiles in the freezer to last a whole year. It is a secure feeling to know that we have chiles to add to whatever we choose for a burst of flavor. No more bland food!
One of the big decisions of the chile shopper is whether to buy hot, medium or mild green chiles. Each degree of chile heat has it proponents, and some diners are tougher than others. Last year we allowed ourselves to be convinced to buy a large box of chiles labeled "Medium/hot". Bad decision! What were we thinking?
The chiles were so hot that after a few attempts to tone down the heat we committed the sacrilege of throwing all the remaining chiles in the trash can. This year we didn't care if the produce manager thought we were wimps. We pounced on and purchased one of the few remaining boxes of mild green chiles.
Some shoppers choose to have their chiles roasted at the store in a cooker set up on the sidewalk in front of the store.
Here is what the roasted chiles look like after a turn in the cooking cage.
Other shoppers prefer to roast the chiles at home, on a grill, a griddle, or a baking sheet in the oven.
One option is to remove the blackened peel before storing the chiles in freezer bags. Other chile lovers leave the peel on and freeze the chiles immediately in bags. The peel comes off easily when the frozen chiles are defrosted under warm water. The stem, veins and seeds are also removed. The chile is ready to use.
I just finished making bacon, tomato, and green chile sandwiches for supper. The bacon was pre-cooked, the bread was whole grain, the tomato was still warm from our garden, and the green chile was indeed mild, but with a wonderful flavor.
Eat more vegetables! We hear this admonition every day. Green chile is a great way to eat your vegetables. Green chile hamburgers, scrambled eggs with green chile, chile con queso, bean burritos with green chile, green chile salsa, green chile enchiladas, green chile quiche...
I wonder if that 25 lb. bag is really going to last our family until next Labor Day?
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