Johnsons's Garden Centers Text File document - copyright 2002
PDF file available at http://www.johnsonsgarden.com/newsletter/vegetableherb.html

Chile Roasting on a Open Fire
September 2001
Carolyn Utter, Editor

    Fall brings with it visions of colorful fallen leaves; warm, fuzzy
sweaters; and the soothing aroma of pinion wood drifting from the
chimenea. Now you can add "smell of roasting chile peppers" to your list
of autumn favorites because this fall at Johnson's, we'll be roasting
chile for you!

    Green chile is an essential ingredient in most Southwestern recipes.
But the problem is getting rid of the pepper's skin. Roasting makes the
peeling process easier and also intensifies the flavor. Chile can be
roasted in the oven or on the grill, but the easiest solution is to have
someone else roast them for you. That's where we come in.

    We'll be roasting chile peppers for you this fall in large,
professional chile roasters from New Mexico. The chile peppers are
placed in big rotating drums and then roasted and tumbled over an open
flame. The cage rotates slowly, gently tossing the chile peppers around
as it goes. The chile peppers are done when the skins are charred fairly
evenly and can be peeled away. Out comes hot, smoky, roasted, ready to
eat, green chiles.

    Strip the skins off, cut off the stems, and remove as many of the
seeds as you wish. The seeds add "heat" but very little flavor.

    Remember to wear kitchen gloves when working with chile peppers.
Otherwise É and I speak from experience É it may take days for the
tingling heat to wear off.

    Some recipes say to remove the charred skin by running the whole
pepper or chile under running water. While this method is quicker and
less messy, it also loses all the intensely flavored juices.

    We recommend placing the chile peppers in a strainer over a bowl.
The blackened skin will easily slip off, and the bowl will catch the
sweet, flavorful juices. Remove the loose seeds and discard them along
with the skin.

    As you are peeling the peppers, run your fingers under running water
as they become coated with the charred skin, rather than holding the
pepper under the water. This way, the chile is cleaned without
sacrificing the wonderfully sweet, concentrated juices. Don't worry
about a little skin left on the chile.

    Fresh green chile peppers are seasonal, but roasted green chiles
freeze beautifully. To store your roasted chiles for winter use, leave
on the charred skin and seal tightly in plastic bags. Fill each bag with
just enough peppers for your favorite Southwestern dishes. The charred
skin helps to protect the pepper's delicate flavor from undesirable
freezer taste. Thaw before cooking and remove the skin, again catching
the juices. You can freeze green chiles as well as sweet bell peppers.

    To get you started, we've included a recipe for Chile Relleno
Casserole. Please email your favorite roasted chile recipes to
askus@johnsonsgarden.com and we'll compile them to share with all our
customers.
    

Chile Relleno Recipe:

    Fill a 9 X 13 pan with roasted green chile peppers (peeled). Slit
the peppers and line them up on the bottom of the pan. Fill each chile
with Monterey jack cheese and pork (amount to your liking). First,
though, parboil the pork in water with garlic salt.

    Put the following in a blender:  2 cups milk, 6 eggs, tabasco sauce
(a few dashes), 4 slices of bread (made into bread crumbs). Blend
ingredients and pour over chiles.

    Sprinkle grated longhorn cheese on top. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour and 15
minutes at 350 degrees.