I grew up in New Mexico and one of the things I miss living here in the South is the wonderful New Mexico green chile! My mother always had fresh green chile in the freezer and we used it all year. So, this spring I got some Anaheim Green Chile seeds and planted my own. I don't think they are quite the same as the Hatch Green Chile's from Hatch, New Mexico but they are a close second! I'm very happy to say that my plants are loaded with green chile. I thought I would show you the process of roasting, prepping and preserving them in the freezer. This is how my mother taught me when I was a young girl.
My mother roasts her green chile in a hot oven. But, because my husband and I are living in a travel trailer right now and it is the middle of a hot summer, I roasted mine in the barbeque grill and it worked perfectly. Heat your grill on the hottest setting, let it sit a few minutes to really get the temperature up there.
Lay your chile out evenly on the grill, put the lid on and let them cook until the skin is a very nice, dark brown color. Turn them over and do the same on the other side.
They will get very soft and the skin will wrinkle up.
Remove them from the grill and place in a bowl or sink of ice cold water. I actually added ice cubes to my sink of cold water. This will make the skins immediately start to come off.
I start by pulling off the stem. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, this will pull out the center membrane. Most of the time I'm not lucky!
After removing the stem, I just slit the chile with my fingers and open it up. If the center membrane didn't pull out with the stem, go ahead and do that now. Also remove the seeds. Usually this is done very easily by just rinsing with cold water.
Turn the chile over and pull the skin off. It is a very easy process. Don't be overly picky, it doesn't hurt to have a little bit of skin and seeds in your final product!
You can freeze them whole, or you can choose to chop them up. I chose to chop these up. On my next batch I will probably freeze them whole.
Chop them into the size you would like.
Bag them up in Ziplok Freezer bags and toss in your freezer. (I used pint size bags, you can use whatever size you choose.) Anytime you have a recipe that calls for canned green chile, pull them out of the freezer and throw them in - your meal will taste so much fresher and yummier!
Being raised in New Mexico Ranch Country, green chile is a very common side dish served with every meal. My mother also put roasted green chile in grilled cheese sandwiches which I love. Not to mention all the other wonderful Mexican Food dishes that call for green chile: Chile Rellanos, Green Chile Enchiladas, a wonderful pot of Green Chile and Pork, Salsa, Relish, Chicken Tortilla Soup, etc... One of our favorite things growing up was a Green Chile Relish my mother made and seved with fresh Pinto Beans. Yummmmm.... think I need to cook that soon!
Trivia for you today: Do you spell chile with an "e" on the end, an "i" on the end, or an "ie" on the end? What do you think is the correct spelling and does it matter?
This week I am linking up with these fabulous parties:
Homestories A 2 Z
This week I am linking up with these fabulous parties:
Homestories A 2 Z
