Roasting green chile at home is not so scary

'Round these parts, it is chile roasting season.  Several grocery stores, including Walmart, sell chile by the bushel and then roast it for you with the big, spinning propane roasters outside the store.  Some people even set up stands on the side of the road to sell roasted chiles.  I have bought some on several different occasions.  There are a couple of ways to store it once you get your giant sack of roasted chiles home.  You can either freeze them or can them.

Let’s talk a bit about what the green chiles actually are.  What we got in our baskets are called Hatch Green Chile.  They come from Hatch, New Mexico.  They are also known as Anaheim Peppers.  They are in the same family as bell peppers, jalapenos, habaneros, etc.  They come in different heats, like mild, medium, hot, etc.  I brought my basket home in the green chile box and it said "Medium Hot" on the side.  I usually buy mild, so I knew we were in for a treat.

Obviously, when we get fresh chiles in our baskets, we have to roast them ourselves.  This was a very easy process involving a bbq grill.  All I did was heat it up, put them on and turn them every few minutes.  See how the skin is kind of blistering and blackening?  That’s good.  That is the skin separating from the meat.



I think the whole cooking process took fifteen minutes.
 
I pulled them off the grill and put them in a big pot and covered it with the lid.  I let them sit all night that way.  The steam helps loosen the skin and makes the peeling process easier.  When you buy it already roasted, they put it in a plastic bag and the same steaming process happens.

When I was ready to peel them, all I had to do was separate the peel and the seeds from the meat.  You can leave the seeds in if you want, but they pack a bunch of heat.  I grew up in the southwest, but I am still a white girl.  I remove the seeds.  Also, the oil from the chiles stays on your hands for quite a while.  You do not want to peel chiles and then take your contacts out.  Trust me on that one.  Gloves are a great idea.  I had a box of disposables left over from my microbiology class last year that worked like a champ.

Once you have them peeled to your satisfaction, it is time to either use them, freeze them, or can them.  I can’t tell you how to can them because I have never done it.  Freezing them is easy.  Just portion them into whatever size freezer bags you want and toss them in the freezer.  I know for a fact that they will last for quite awhile.  I still have some from a batch two years ago and they are fine.

I used mine right away.  I made what is known around here as green chile.  Imagine that.  The recipe is coming right up.