If you live in the American Southwest, the smell of roasting Hatch green chiles fills the air for miles at this time of the year. It triggers the memory of meals cooked with my mother on the huge wood stove at our ranch in Chihuahua, Mexico and makes my mouth water just thinking about it.
We can’t get fresh Hatch chiles in New York but Anaheim chiles, a close relative, are increasingly available. You can also usually get them at Fairway on 30th and the Garden of Eden on 23rd Street in New York City, and a few farmers offer them at the Union Square Green Market.You can substitute poblano chiles for most recipes but you absolutely need Anaheims for the popular Northern-style chiles rellenos below
So now you can get them but what can you cook with them? Here are few recipes for you to play with.but first: What is an Anaheim chile?
ANAHEIM CHILE: A large, fleshy green chile developed in the United States, very close to varieties sold in southern Mexico as chile chilaca and in the north simply as chile verde. It is about 6 – 8 inches long and ranges from mild to very hot. Similar or identical varieties can be found as “California long green” or “New Mexico” chiles. In the north of Mexico this general type is the favorite for stuffing.
Secondly: How do I roast, peel, seed and devein them?
TO PREPARE FRESH GREEN CHILES: Heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Working with a few chiles at a time so as not to crowd the pan, place them on the hot griddle and cook, turning occasionally with tongs, until they are blackened all over. (Chiles can also be held directly in a gas flame on a long-handled fork.) Place the hot chiles in a plastic or brown paper back and let sit 2 – 5 minutes (no longer, or they get soggy). Remove them from the bag, peel by scraping off the blistered skin, and cut off the top with the seed core. Cut chiles lengthwise into halves or thick strips (rajas) and scrape out veins and any remaining seeds.
When chiles are to be left whole for stuffing sometimes I fry them in hot oil until puffy and beige-colored. This leaves the texture crunchier.
Recipes
When customers ordered chile rellenos at the restaurant at the start, this is what they thought they would get. They did not realize that there are endless recipes for stuffed chiles which is what chiles rellenos means. This is the traditional Northern-style stuffed Anaheim chiles
Photo by Laurie Smith www.lauriesmithphoto.com
When customers ordered chile rellenos at the restaurant at the start, this is what they thought they would get. They did not realize that there are endless recipes for stuffed chiles which is what chiles rellenos means. This is the traditional Northern-style stuffed Anaheim chiles
In Oaxaca, cooks make a slit on one side of the chile de agua (a variety not available here but easy substituted with an Anaheim chile,) and stuff is with a 1bout a 1/4-inch thick slice of cheese and grill it until charred. The burned skin is scraped off and the flavor is divine.
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No single recipe takes me back to our cattle ranch in Chihuahua than these potatoes with green chile given to me by Comadre Lupe. Cut the potatoes into smaller pieces and you have a great taco or burrito filling.
I’ve published this recipe before but it is the perfect Anaheim chile recipe if you want something light and refreshing. It’ s my grandmother Ana Linda’s recipe
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Try this ropa vieja made with shredded beef and Anaheim chile strips stew. We used brisket here. Don’t! It does not cook as fast and does not shred well. It still tasted great though!
