Re: [CH] New Mexican Chiles? What are they? What do I buy?

Chris Thomas (cthomas@precisecastings.com)
Fri, 21 Jan 2005 11:52:40 -0600 

Having lived in Albuquerque for quite some time before getting stupid and 
moving to Chicago, I learned to love the New Mexico variety quite alot. 
They range from mild (as in the Ortega canned chiles), to a very hot "Big 
Jim" .  They are all a Anaheim style chile, Dark green, long and very meaty. 
Seeds can be purchased several places, but I usually require so many of 
these chiles annually, that I purchase them by the bushel.  I devote my 
garden to Habs and Jalapenos.  Anyway, in season they are wonderful.  I 
bought a roaster, and when I'm roasting 60 pounds or so in the fall, the 
smell is fantastic, and I usually get several neighbors who come by to see 
what smell so good!  I usually get 30 pounds of medium, and 30 extra hot. 
After an afternoon of roasting, I vacuum package them in 2 pound packages, 
and freeze them, so I can have a supply all year long.  In the long run, 
considering how often I use these to cook with, buying a bushels worth is 
well worth the price I pay.  It's normally around $50.00 including shipping, 
to have them delivered fresh from New Mexico to Chicago.  If you want, let 
you know where to get them.  And trust me, extra hot is just that!
-Chris
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "ChileBuzz" <chilebuzz@earthlink.net>
To: <Chile-Heads@globalgarden.com>
Sent: Friday, January 21, 2005 11:13 AM
Subject: [CH] New Mexican Chiles? What are they? What do I buy?


> One of my cookbooks has many recipes calling for "New Mexican chiles."   I
> realized I did not know what those were exactly and thus, did not know 
> what
> to look for at the grocery store.  The recipes also  list "green New
> Mexican chiles," "ground red New Mexican chile," red serranos, jalapenos,
> red jalapenos, habanero, and others.  One recipe calls for ancho chiles,
> pasilla chiles, and "dried red New Mexican chiles, stems and seeds 
> removed"
>
> There is an intro to New Mexican cuisine at the front of the book, 
> relating
> how:
>
> "different varieties were culivated, including poblanos, serranos, and
> jalapenos, but the 'long green' chile pepper (now known generically as New
> Mexican) reigned supreme.  This particular variety, which dries bright 
> red,
> was cultivated with such dedication that several land races (localized
> varieties) developed in New Mexico. These culitvars, called 'Chimayo' and
> 'Espanola' are still planted to day in cenuries-old fields.  They
> constitute a small but distinct part of the thirty-six thousand dry tons 
> of
> chile peppers produced each year in the state."
>
> OK, this may sound like a duh question given that introductory info, but 
> do
> you think that when the recipe calls for "New Mexican chiles" (fresh or
> dried), it means specifically the Chimayo or Espanola chile?  (that it 
> does
> not mean just any chile grown in New Mexico, such as jals and serranos?)
>
> Yeah, I realize I can use any chile I want, I am just "trying" to 
> interpret
> these recipes accurately and am getting a little frustrated in the 
> process.
> Mind, there's only the remotest chance in dogtown I will find a "Chimayo"
> or "Espanola" chile at my grocer, at least any chile so labelled.  Chances
> are 99.9% I will HAVE to use another chile, but I'd like to understand 
> what
> the recipe intends just in case I can it locally.
>
> The chain stores labels on the chiles are not at all reliable, but the
> variety usually includes the more common serrano, jalapeno, poblano,
> habanero, and the like, with occasionally a more uncommon chile popping 
> up.
> Yesterday, I saw a chile labelled "long pepper" but it was not a long
> medium-to-darkish green chile --it was a fatter, yellowish waxy thing, but
> skinnier than poblanos -- leading me to believe it was probably
> mislabelled. ?? Not that I actually know what a "long pepper" is supposed
> to look like, but I vaguely seemed to recall having seen a picture showing
> them to be a jalapeno-green color.  At the ethnic grocers, if chiles are
> labelled at all, often just "red" or "hot pepper" .LOL.
>
> I am just trying to understand the chiles as distinguished (or not) in 
> this
> cookbook without having to get a Harvard education on chiles ... only want
> to know what to look for at the store.  I do at least have the  "ground 
> red
> New Mexican chile" ingredient covered with a bottle of Jim's New Mexican
> chile powder.  Beyond that ... I am muddling.
>
> Opinions?
>
> ChileBuzz
>
>
>