Hatch green chile time!

[Jenise]

I think.

If everything goes righ, tomorrow I will take delivery on two cases of green chiles. We’re going to spend all afternoon roasting them and have two or three other couples over to help with the job. We'll play bocce, drink cold white wine (summer heat wave: it's going to be 77!) and make chile-related foods to gnosh on. I'll serve chips with a salsa of green chiles with oil, vinegar and fresh oregano, a cauliflower, fresh jalapeno and carrot escabeche, beer-poached shrimp with cilantro pesto, and tacos. The tacos are my favorite food on chile roasting day with slabs of sliced roast pork shoulder, Tillamook cheddar, and strips of marinated green chiles on homemade corn tortillas singed in a hot dry iron skillet.

The chiles were not easy to get! The local Fred Meyers got the hot ones through a deal with the QFC store chain who had arranged for a shipment larger than what they needed, so they were willing to sell the hots but wanted to keep the mediums for themselves. They gave me a few of the hots to try but they were incendiary--I like heat, but I want to be able to put three chiles on my hamburger so a few less Scoville units are appreciated! So the produce guy here had to get approval from the store manager to sweet talk his buyer who had to sweet talk QFC to free some up two cases once they admitted that they indeed had a few more in their warehouse. It took all week to work out and it's all going to come down today but we won't know until the truck arrives early tomorrow morning whether or not the QFC guy came through. It’s like dealing with spies!

Anybody else buying this year?

I am, but did not see them in Raley's yesterday.....am going to call and ask today why? Thanks for the head's up! Just broke into my last frozen package yesterday, it was my last hot batch. OMG they are so good.

[Jenise]

Well, Karen, if you don't get as lucky as I did, I hope you get as lucky as I did. That is: we dropped by Freddie's yesterday and found that the warehouse had shipped them two extra cases for me, but they were the hots, not the mediums. And btw, I totally expected this might happen. Now the first person we asked (the guy who took my order originally doesn't work Saturdays) knew all about it but didn't want to be the one to tell me, he just said they'd "been talking about this all morning". So he got someone else and that person said she didn't want to tell us what happened, and she went and got the guy who'd just left a message on our phone, and he went and got the manager of the store before telling me the news at which I wondered out loud how I could figure out which of the QFC stores would have two spare boxes of those chiles that I could pick up early today for the all day chile-roasting dinner party I'm throwing if by any chance there's no more luck with the re-order coming in this morning than there was yesterday. They all agreed that the probability was probably of it coming in right was pretty low. I could pick them up directly at the warehouse but that's long long way away in Puyallup. So there we are six of us now standing in the produce department having this major conflab over two silly boxes of chile peppers, and all four of them are prostrating themselves with apologies and in every way actually taking this a lot more seriously than Bob and I are.

So I said looks like we have a road trip to make in the morning, but do they know a central contact at the QFC stores who could tell us the most likely place to go for the chiles, hopefully a store not quite all the way to Seattle? No, but they could hit the phones and call QFC stores!, and they did, finally locating two cases in Stanwood about 60 miles from here as a backup, but promised they'd call us first thing today to let us know if we needed to make that trip. Well, I just got off the phone. And I'm on my way to Stanwood, but they instructed me to stop by their store on the way as there is an envelope at the Customer Service desk with my name on it and $120 inside to pay for both the chiles and my gas. Can you believe that?

Wow Jenise, you did luck out. I called Raley's yesterday...no Hatch chiles and they won't be in until late Sept! What? That is too late I said. Well, not to be stopped I went to Safeway this morning and they had beautiful ones, for 1.39 a pound. So I got 22 lbs. Gene is outside, working with the first half on the grill. I am ready in the kitchen with my freezer bags. Once we get on a roll, it goes very fast.

We started at 9 am and finished at 9:50 am. I still have to put the quart bags into the gallon size, but that takes hardly any time at all. When they come off the grill, I move them to my cutting board to cool a few seconds, then transfer them to the quart bags. About 3 to 4 placed in on a slight angle to fit the 10 to 10- 1/2 inch lenghth these babies are this year. The prettiest so far. I let them steam with an open end in the quart bag, before putting into the final bag for freezing.

I am a wine steward at a Fred Meyer store down here in Oregon. I see this big display of Hatch chiles. Yes all the boxes are marked hot. I have not ever really worked much or cooked with them. I have watched a couple of videos on how to roast them. Is it better to roast them whole without cutting them or to make a slit down the side and take out the seeds first ? I would like some suggestions on how to use them. Thanks. I also just got some samples of Brezza Barolo 2001 and 2005 as well as Paitin Sori Paitin Barbaresco 2005 and 2006. Another wine steward and I are going to taste through them next week. We will be able to sell them for between $32 and $35. I am planning on 3-4 hours of decanting time.

I am a wine steward at a Fred Meyer store down here in Oregon. I see this big display of Hatch chiles. Yes all the boxes are marked hot. I have not ever really worked much or cooked with them. I have watched a couple of videos on how to roast them. Is it better to roast them whole without cutting them or to make a slit down the side and take out the seeds first ? I would like some suggestions on how to use them. Thanks. I also just got some samples of Brezza Barolo 2001 and 2005 as well as Paitin Sori Paitin Barbaresco 2005 and 2006. Another wine steward and I are going to taste through them next week. We will be able to sell them for between $32 and $35. I am planning on 3-4 hours of decanting time.

You are right about leaving them whole. I don't do anything but rinse them, throw on the grill to blacken the skin. When cool, double bag and freeze stem, seeds, skin and all. When you take them out to use, they thaw enough in just a few minutes to pull the stem and seeds, and remove the skin. I love them in beef braised dishes, tacos, burritos, beans, omelets, scrambled eggs, in hamburgers. Just start playing with them. I prefer the mild, but do buy a few of the hot ones.

[Jenise]

I am a wine steward at a Fred Meyer store down here in Oregon. I see this big display of Hatch chiles. Yes all the boxes are marked hot. I have not ever really worked much or cooked with them. I have watched a couple of videos on how to roast them. Is it better to roast them whole without cutting them or to make a slit down the side and take out the seeds first ? I would like some suggestions on how to use them. Thanks. I also just got some samples of Brezza Barolo 2001 and 2005 as well as Paitin Sori Paitin Barbaresco 2005 and 2006. Another wine steward and I are going to taste through them next week. We will be able to sell them for between $32 and $35. I am planning on 3-4 hours of decanting time.

You are right about leaving them whole. I don't do anything but rinse them, throw on the grill to blacken the skin. When cool, double bag and freeze stem, seeds, skin and all. When you take them out to use, they thaw enough in just a few minutes to pull the stem and seeds, and remove the skin. I love them in beef braised dishes, tacos, burritos, beans, omelets, scrambled eggs, in hamburgers. Just start playing with them. I prefer the mild, but do buy a few of the hot ones.

I take a slightly different approach than Karen. I rinse them off, then roast whole when mostly dry. I'm not looking to cook them so much as blacken the majority of skin on each, then we toss them in a large bowl where their close proximity to each other finishes them to a limp state. I then rinse them again to rid them of any ash as well as prep them for freezing, and pull the tops off and seed pods out. This reduces their bulk by quite a bit, which is paramount for me since freezer space is at a premium and I need them to take up the smallest amount of room possible.

We roast ours on our gas grill, removing the grates and putting them right on the briquets on the bottom. Works well for the volume we do. If I were just doing ten or 20, I'd do them right on the gas grill of my stove.

We make salsas of them and love them on hamburgers, all Mexican food, omelets and the like. Try some of those hots to see what you think first, though. They're too hot for me--or at least, I could take a little of it but since the point is as much about the green chile flavor as the heat itself, I want to be able to use more pepper.

Too bad you don't work at the Freddie's up here, Michael. Their wine section SUCKS; nothing but cheapo corporate brands. I've heard of stores in Seattle that have great wine selections, but it's absolutely not the case here.

No ash is involved in our grilling as we use a gas grill. It is a huge stainless steel that holds a lot of peppers at one shot. I, too, do not cook the peppers but blacken the skin. In doing research and talking with chile heads, they told me that leaving the stem, skins and seeds in helps retain the flavor of the peppers. The first year, I pulled the stems and seeds prior to freezing, but left the skins. The peppers froze well, but I think they are going to hold up better leaving them whole and freezing. You will find your own way Michael, how you prefer to do it. Luckily I have enough room as I only do about 22 to 24 lbs each year and I plan for it starting about April to get the freezer shelf I dedicate to beef cleaned out. The trick is to pack them in one layer and push out the air from the freezer bag. The first year I used my Food Saver but that proved too time consuming and expensive. Jenise told me of her method, and I like it much better. Have fun with them and let us know how it goes.

Jenise,
I have never been in any of the Washington stores. I can tell you that the big difference is whether it is a wine steward store or not. Non-wine steward stores are set by corporate. We all have a "core" list that we all must carry, about 1200 wines. After that it is up to the individual steward. Down here in the Portland metro area we have about 14 wine steward stores. If you went into each one you would see lots of differences in what we each choose to carry. I have been in my store for 21 years. My 2 favorite categories are Pinot Noirs from anywhere and New Zealand. I probably have about 150 Oregon Pinots but I also have found some very nice ones from California, New Zealand, Argentina , and Chile. I always love finding more from outside Oregon. As far as New Zealand goes, I carry about 35 producers. I probably taste about 80 wines per week not counting trade tastings.I do love that side of my job. Also thanks to you and Karen for the chile info.

[Jenise]

We started at 9 am and finished at 9:50 am. I still have to put the quart bags into the gallon size, but that takes hardly any time at all. When they come off the grill, I move them to my cutting board to cool a few seconds, then transfer them to the quart bags. About 3 to 4 placed in on a slight angle to fit the 10 to 10- 1/2 inch lenghth these babies are this year. The prettiest so far. I let them steam with an open end in the quart bag, before putting into the final bag for freezing.

Quart bags! I usually use sandwich size, though this year I blew it and bought snack size, something I previous to pulling one out of the box had no idea even existed. And they were fine--just large enough to hold 3-4, folded in half usually, and of course topless. I make no attempt to keep them as pretty as yours are--but then I roast mine longer, judging by your picture. Yours still have a lot of green where mine are pretty much black all over because I like that charred flavor. It's the way I first fell in love with them in New Mexico.

But hey, I made a new convert this year. My new neighbors were agog at the three 6 foot tables covered with freshly washed chiles, and then entranced by the aroma from the roasting over here all day. They've never had these chiles before, but apparently Don loves hamburgers and is always, per Mary, "stuffing wild stuff in there", so I gave them a bunch, freezer-ready, and the next night they made burgers. Next thing you know they're down in Snohomish for the birth of their first grandchild, and in the hospital parking lot Don recognizes a familiar aroma--roasting chiles! Of all things there was a guy across the street with the same kind of roasting apparatus they use in New Mexico--Don bought 15 pounds.

[Jenise]

Non-wine steward stores are set by corporate. We all have a "core" list that we all must carry, about 1200 wines. After that it is up to the individual steward.

That's the way Haggens and The Market/Cost Cutter up here work. Each store has it's own 'Consultant', as they grandly call it, and each store reflects the taste of that person and his core clientele. It's cool that each wine department gets it's own personality. After moving here I quickly bonded with one guy/store in particular because as soon as he got this job and got greater exposure to all things wine, he fell in love with the quirky stuff I love. He no longer works there but we've become good friends, in fact he and his family are coming over today. But neither of the two Freddies here bother. They just carry that core group.

By comparison, it was quite startling to go in the Stanwood QFC, and see how upscale a store in the Kroger group could be. Nowhere up here can I get all the things in one store that store has--veal, great wine department, specialty produce like Hatch chiles, Boars Head deli meats, etc. The wine steward even has an all-glass temp-controlled room in the middle of the floor for his special stuff, maybe 12 x 12, that is under lock and key except for the hours he's in the store.

Quart bags! I usually use sandwich size, though this year I blew it and bought snack size, something I previous to pulling one out of the box had no idea even existed. And they were fine--just large enough to hold 3-4, folded in half usually, and of course topless. I make no attempt to keep them as pretty as yours are--but then I roast mine longer, judging by your picture. Yours still have a lot of green where mine are pretty much black all over because I like that charred flavor. It's the way I first fell in love with them in New Mexico.

I use the freezer quart bags because I want the extra protection of the two freezer bags. Some brands are a little different in size, the zipper ones I picked up this year were a bit shorter, however I was able to get 3 to 4 in each bag by putting them in at a slight angle. The blackened pepper in the above picture was probably the least blackening I will allow, sometimes I have to give some back to Gene for further blistering. He gets really hot doing the job, even with the big vent hood on high and a ceiling fan overhead. I have to make sure I have all the windows on that side of the house closed
But, hey, the job is done until next year.....

[Jenise]

Quart bags! I usually use sandwich size, though this year I blew it and bought snack size, something I previous to pulling one out of the box had no idea even existed. And they were fine--just large enough to hold 3-4, folded in half usually, and of course topless. I make no attempt to keep them as pretty as yours are--but then I roast mine longer, judging by your picture. Yours still have a lot of green where mine are pretty much black all over because I like that charred flavor. It's the way I first fell in love with them in New Mexico.

I use the freezer quart bags because I want the extra protection of the two freezer bags. Some brands are a little different in size, the zipper ones I picked up this year were a bit shorter, however I was able to get 3 to 4 in each bag by putting them in at a slight angle. The blackened pepper in the above picture was probably the least blackening I will allow, sometimes I have to give some back to Gene for further blistering. He gets really hot doing the job, even with the big vent hood on high and a ceiling fan overhead. I have to make sure I have all the windows on that side of the house closed
But, hey, the job is done until next year.....

Karen, though I'm a fan of ZipLoc and consider them unreplaceable for most things, I couldn't afford to bag the quantity of chiles I roast in quart ZipLocs. Rather, I use the cheapest little sandwich bags for each set of three-four chiles, and then pile about 20 little bags of chiles in gallon size ZipLoc Freezer bags. Last week we used the last bag of our 2009 chiles (we didn't roast in 2010), and I'm here to tell you that they were still perfect. And I'm VERY sensitive about such things, unlike nearly all my neighbors here I won't freeze crab because even one month later, while they claim it tastes fine I find it fishy and stringy. Take it from me, Chiles are very forgiving.

[quote][Karen, though I'm a fan of ZipLoc and consider them unreplaceable for most things, I couldn't afford to bag the quantity of chiles I roast in quart ZipLocs./quote]

Here is my solution...for years I have washed my food storage bags in hot soapy water and reuse. I'm not going to throw out a perfectly good bag.... I've been reusing all my food storage bags, even the Food Saver type. That is why the gadget shown above is made!

[Jenise]

Here is my solution...for years I have washed my food storage bags in hot soapy water and reuse. I'm not going to throw out a perfectly good bag.... I've been reusing all my food storage bags, even the Food Saver type. That is why the gadget shown above is made!

Good for you. I often wash and reuse bags too, though not nearly as often as I should, environmentally speaking.