Late Friday night, I heard the train blow its crossing whistle about three miles away, which means the wind is from the west and a very tiny “cold” front had come through. In South Florida, this doesn’t mean much in the way of dropping temperatures in September, but it does lessen the sauna-like humidity somewhat. It is also the signal to get ready for growing season!
Fall is arriving in other areas of the country as well. Iguana Man lived in Albuquerque, and has shared the tales of the Hatch, New Mexico Chile Festival, which happened last weekend. Since we couldn’t go to New Mexico this year (but we’re going to Black Mountain, NC in a couple of weeks), we did the next best thing, and ordered 10 lbs. of Hatch Green Chilies.
They were beautiful when they arrived (although one had already turned red!):
Hatch Green Peppers, Freshly Arrived from New Mexico
So, after the Gator game yesterday (whew!), I fired up the grill and roasted off the peppers. The key is to roasting the peppers is to keep them from becoming over-charred, but to make sure that all sides of the pepper are thoroughly blistered. After grilling, place them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, and let them steam until they’re cool enough to handle. The peeling and de-seeding is pretty straight forward, although a bit messy and time consuming. But well worth the effort:
Roasted, Peeled, and De-Seeded Hatch Peppers
So tonight we’ll be having some green chicken chili, and I’ll be bagging and freezing this seasonal delicacy for future use. I promised the Island Girl I’d bring some to NC in a couple of weeks. But before I go, I have to get my garden prepared, and get my specialty pepper and tomato seeds going, as well as replant my annual herbs. Once the weather cools a bit, the growing season will truly get under way, and there’s a special bonus, too….the orchids start blooming again after their Death Valley summer (they grow like weeds but don’t bloom in the heat).
Bon Appetit
~ Blonde Gator
[Edit: Green Chicken Chili Recipe ~ Delicioso!]
