Freezing Whole Roasted and Peeled Chile Pods
I had rubbed the blistered peels off of some good sized Hatch New Mexico chile pods that I thought would be perfect for chile rellenos. However, I wanted to freeze them and make the rellenos another day. I also wanted to freeze the batch in such a way that I could grab just a few without having to thaw a whole bag of pods.
I figured laying the green hatch chile pods out on cookie sheets would give me individually frozen pods but I didn’t want them sticking to the cookie sheet. I also wanted to freeze two layers of chile pods. What to use, waxed paper or parchment paper for lining the sheet?
It turns out, in my little experiment anyway, that parchment paper does a better job and lets go of the pods nicely. The chile had a tendency to stick to the waxed paper.
Just spread out a piece of parchment paper on the cookie sheet and lay the pods on the parchment paper side by side but don’t let them touch. Put the cookie sheets in the freezer overnight. You should then be able to move the frozen pods into a freezer bag, get them right back into the freezer, and have a handy supply of New Mexican chilis to draw from when you get a hankering for chile rellenos.
Celebrating Hatch New Mexico Green Chile
Central Market locations in Texas and an assortment of Tex-Mex restaurants usually set aside a couple weekends this time of year to celebrate the green Hatch chile harvest.
Not wanting to miss out, I zipped over to the Central Market Dallas location last Friday. They had a couple guys out front flame roasting the famous New Mexican chile by the case. Inside the store were various displays of fresh Hatch chile that you could buy bulk. “A” list pods, I should mention.
Central Market is known for their in-house bakery, among other things, so I picked up some hamburger buns and sourdough bread baked with bits of Hatch chile. You could also buy hamburger patties or sausage with the New Mexico green goodness mixed in. Those I passed because it’s pretty easy to make your own at home.
I also got home with a case of Hatch chile that had been fire roasted an hour or so before. The inside of my car still smells like roasted New Mexican chili, but who’s complaining? I’ll have to admit that the chiles looked pretty ugly with a real good toasting put on them. But the outer skin slides off real easy.
Green Chile Roasters
You know it is Hatch chile season when the big roasters roll out. This usually happens from late August through in end of September in New Mexico and much of the Southwest U.S.
Here is some video I shot of the New Mexican chile being roasted at Central Market in Dallas.
It’s New Mexico Chile Season
You know the Hatch chile season is really underway when you walk into a Walmart in Rowlett, Texas and come face to face with long green New Mexican chile goodness.
What surprised me a little was the improved quality of the green Hatch chili pods over what I had seen the other day at a local Albertsons.
These green chile pods were closer to “A” list. Sure there were some small curly pods to avoid, but plenty of long, flat, heavy green chiles. The kind to take home to Mama Relleno, if you know what I mean. And I think you do.
Swiss Green Hatch Chile Cheese Dog
Green chile and Swiss cheese hotdogs
Say that three times fast.
Here is a quick and easy recipe for New Mexican chile dogs with Swiss Cheese instead of the usual Cheddar. I really like the combination of Swiss Cheese and green chile. It’s an pleasing pairing of flavors and rather mild since dairy products put a damper on the heat of any kind of chiles.
Here is what you’ll need..
1 4 oz can of chopped green Hatch chile. Or use fresh New Mexican chili if you’ve got it.
1 package of hot dogs. I’m using turkey dogs to keep down the fat content.
1 package of hot dog buns. I use whole wheat for the grains and fiber.
Swiss Cheese slices. Real cheese please.
Table mustard, regular yellow or Dijon style (optional)
Zap the hot dogs in the microwave. Apply mustard to the inside of the buns if using,then add Swiss cheese forming a cradle for the dogs. Place the cooked hot dogs on the cheese and top with chopped Hatch green chile, about two tablespoons. Place in hot toaster oven or return to microwave long enough to melt cheese.
Remove and enjoy! This is an easy and quick way to make friends with New Mexico green chile.
New Mexico