Unlike jalapeños, you can’t just pop New Mexico green chiles into your mouth. They need to be roasted and peeled first. Roasting brings out the chiles’ flavors and makes peeling their tough translucent skins possible. Here are a few secrets for preparing the best-tasting green chile with the least amount of fuss.
Pick well. You want the freshest green chiles — ones with snap. Choose firm, plump, crisp chiles with a shiny green color and fresh smell. For the most flesh, get the heaviest ones for their size.
Don’t dawdle. Put green chiles up quickly because once harvested they’re surprisingly perishable. They don’t keep well, even refrigerated, more than a few days. And you can’t just pop them into the freezer, or they’ll emerge floppy and bland-tasting. Tired, old, shriveled chiles will never roast up properly and will be a pain to peel.
Choose your roasting method. Traditionally in New Mexico, green chiles were roasted outdoors in hornos or over wood fires, and more recently on barbecue grills, imparting nice smoky flavors. In a pinch, you can use the flame of a gas stove or place them under the broiler. But if you’re roasting any quantity, a roaster’s the way to go. Those large metal cages revolving over gas flames will roast an entire 35-pound bag in about five minutes.
Roast ferociously. Perfectly roasted chiles look brown-black and blistered. Yes, pretty charred. Proper roasting is essential to peeling them easily, so don’t be timid.
Let ’em sweat. After roasting, charred chiles are immediately put into heat-resistent heavy plastic bags. At home, you can also use large bowls lightly covered with a towel or plastic wrap. Let them sit until they’ve cooled enough to handle, up to an hour. As they cool they’ll sweat — loosening the outer skins and making peeling easier.
Protect your hands. They’ll burn like fire from the capsaicin without some sort of barrier. You can wear rubber gloves, or do what native cooks have done for centuries: Coat your hands with grease or shortening. Works perfectly.
Avoid burns. Once your hands or gloves have been in contact with chile, don’t touch your lips, eyes, face, or delicate body parts. And to prevent burning those sensitive areas later (yes, all of them, guys!), when you’re finished, scrub your hands and arms vigorously with plenty of hot soapy water.
Peel. On your cutting board slip off the skins with your fingers, or scrape with a knife if they need prodding. Don’t worry about leaving bits of charred skins, they’ll add a nice earthy character. Trim off the stems. Depending on how hot you want them, the inner fibers and seeds may be kept or discarded.
Never ever rinse chiles in water! That removes the oils, which hold much of the chile’s flavor. Water partially explains why commercially processed chiles are never as flavorful as those you put up yourself.
Eat or store. Refrigerate those you’ll use within three days. Freeze the rest in airtight freezer containers, where they’ll keep a year or more.
This article appears in August 23 • 2002.