IOTM: Adventures in Chile Roasting

[Jenise]

Man, are we set. Thanks to Larry, we have 50 little ziplocs in the freezer, each of which contains 3 or 4 whole roasted chiles. I froze them in what would typically be a portion for two if added to a hamburger or a grilled cheese sandwich.

That's 50 net. Another 12 or so chiles were skinned warm, diced, and mixed with chopped garlic, salt, a little vinegar, some EVOO and a couple tablespoons of water to make a just-chile fresh salsa for tortilla chips. We meant that to be a snack in preparation for a whole southwestern dinner, but the chiles were so great that this was all we wanted for dinner so we scraped the other plans.

The just-chile salsa was not my own idea, but that of some friends of friends we visited last weekend in Santa Ynez who, coincidentally, were that day roasting their own New Mexico green chiles. The male half of the couple grew up in NM, so this is an annual ritual for them. Theirs was more virginal, just garlic and salt, but I added the water, oil and vinegar to brighten the flavors and also create a slushier consistency that self-loaded onto a tortilla chip more effectively.

Their chiles were Sandias, mine were Big Jims. Additionally, they picked and roasted whole green chiles they grew themselves. I'm not sure what variety their home grown chiles were, but they were hotter and much less fruity than the Sandias, and therefore to my tastes much less interesting. By fruity, I mean the home grown chiles tasted of green pepper + hot, where the Sandias had that plus bright sweet complicated bursts that were, in wine terms, reminiscent of apples and pomegranite. When I told them I was getting Big Jims, their reaction suggested that the Big Jims were milder than the Sandias. Well, having eaten my share of both on tortilla chips, I'd say they were identically hot, and the Big Jims were fruitier/more complex. Not by quite as big a margin as their Sandias vs. the home growns, but by a few degrees. Having tried both, I would absolutely order the Big Jims all over again.

Larry, thanks again. I will be thanking you all year long.

Personally, I think Sandias are hotter, but I like the flavor of Big Jims better. The average heat for Big Jim is medium, but they vary widely and some can be quite hot.

BTW, did you get my email with the chile roasting images?

[Jenise]

My New Mexico friends agree with you about the Sandias in principal. But gauging by what I tasted and how long I could go before I had to put the fire in my mouth out, in the case of these two batches the two were about the same. But no matter, even though the big jims are milder, like you I thought they tasted better--and one can always add heat, but flavor has to be there.

Yes, thank you, I got the email with the pictures. Just in time, too, because it gave me the idea of putting a plastic garbage bag near the BBQ to remove the finished chiles to. Btw, I rinsed the ash off the chiles but froze them skin on, thinking the skins would be good protection against freezer burn. Is that what you do?

No, I don't do that (the volume of the packages is greater), but freezing with the skins on makes the peeling even easier later after they're partially defrosted.

i wonder, what is the ITOM in oktober?

You are all set for sure, Jenise! This post sure makes me smile. Lill's aunt, visiting from Phoenix last fall, showed up at our place with a cooler filled with Hatch chile that she had roasted, packaged as you have, and frozen. I'm down to my last couple of bags. *sob*
It's been a great 12 months of machaca, chile and eggs, chile on pizza, chile verde chicken and pork.
I'm looking forward to reading about your experiments as you go through your stash.

[Robin Garr]

i wonder, what is the ITOM in oktober?

We haven't decided yet, Albino, but it's October now, so it is time to think! Do you have an idea? No fair saying Albanese white truffles!

how about:

- boletus (porcini)

- damson

- buckweat

- eel

- nori

- coffee (for food!)

- game


more ideas ?

[Jenise]

Albino! Robin! I missed your exchange entirely, very sorry. And October snuck up on me.

Albino, I like your list. We have done coffee before, though. And porcinis could be tough if we limited ourselves to fresh. No problem if both fresh and dried are allowed--we could even expand the category to all wild mushrooms or include one extra variety like chanterelles. What I'm thinking is, that where I live fresh chanterelles are available at this time of year but I never see porcinis though I do hear they're sometimes found. Other people could have the same issues with whatever varieties are local to them. Game meat is not very accessible, so I'm afraid we'd have low participation. Big ditto on eel. Plums are an intriguing suggestion, but that tends to lend itself to desserts only. Not completely, but you know what I mean: everybody makes dinner, but only a few people make desserts.

What do you think: wild mushrooms?

[Robin Garr]

What do you think: wild mushrooms?

I like that a lot ... it's seasonal, and we can go with fresh or dried or a combination.

We should give Albino a say, since he jumped on the idea, but I think wild mushrooms is the ingredient to beat. Maybe we should start a separate thread?

Mushrooms in all forms sounds okay to me. And maybe we can get Willie Nelson to join in our thread.

i understand and agree with youre comment,

i do not agree with the plums, since they are used quite allot in salty-cuisine
- cuttney
- meat stuffet with (sweden)
- sauces to meat
- cooked in redwine and balsamic to serve cold ore warm with all kinds of terrines
and more (it would get the people think and be creative )


canterelle's real season is spring

wild mushrooms is fie to me (but not interesting , i like them! but i fear it will be allways the "normal" and nothing really trilling ,
since i do not like to write alot and my english is better in reading than writing i will only contribute when it's an interesting contribution

[Jenise]

Albino,

I strive to use less usual ingredients and the more challenging and unusual, the more I learn and the better I like it. But unfortunately, after years of hosting these monthly topics, I've learned that I'm not in the majority and lest I end up talking to myself, the best course is to choose something that, while not a usual shopping cart ingredient, is at least easily obtainable. And even then I can't predict. Star anise, as a topic, was quite popular, but one month later lemon grass fell flat. I can't begin to understand why.

You're right that plums do have savoury applications. You present a good list, and encouraging ourselves to think outside the usual box about good ingredients is the best thing we can accomplish, in my opinion, with IOTM. I like it.

But about wild mushrooms: you liked porcini, but you don't like the broader category that includes all other wild mushrooms? Would you prefer we just do porcinis even if it means that some use dried instead of fresh? If so, we can do that. I love porcinis and always have dried in my pantry, and for this exercise I'd try to mail order some fresh ones. I just wanted you to understand that where fresh porcini might be readily available to you in Europe, that's not wideley the case over here. Oh, and about chantarelles? Not a spring crop here--fall only.

But anyway, you pick. You can be our guest chef of the month. What shall it be? Plums, porcinis, or fresh wild mushrooms?

But about wild mushrooms: you liked porcini, but you don't like the broader category that includes all other wild mushrooms?

you see, my english ,
wasn't really good,

for me porcini or including all wild mushrooms, is just as fine.
dried and fresh!

robin , isnt the white truffle a wilde mushrooms?

I just wanted you to understand that where fresh porcini might be readily available to you in Europe, that's not wideley the case over here.

that will always be a problem, nothing has season worldwide at the same time, i suggest to stay with the us-season because of the higher number of writers!

we also can get chanterelles now, but they come from russia or poland (ts
huge-ternobil-chanterelles

But anyway, you pick. You can be our guest chef of the month.

are you serious?


i'd pick:
fresh wild mushrooms

[Jenise]

Great! Fresh wild mushrooms it is.

are you serious?

Sure! I'll just open a beer and sit back here in the cheap seats. And cook up a dish or three. Want to write a post introducing the ingredient, or should I?

yes please, go ahed!


i'll go to bed, and tomorow, i have to go out for the whole day (only litle web possible) at a congress of the chefs-teacher of switzerland
they want to reform the scoolingsystem for chefs (do we have the most gold medal in cooking? )

well,

lets see what it is that they want to change

An interesting overview, with recipes, of the New Mexico chile by Dave DeWitt, chile whiz: http://www.fiery-foods.com/dave/profile_nmpep.html

My daughter moved back east last summer and is going through serious chile withdrawal. I will be driving back sometime late autumn/early winter and she has already pleaded for me to bring a cooler full of chile.... "Mom, you only need a sweater or two and jeans. Fill the rest of the trunk with chiles!"