It’s almost as if the whole state smells like Green Chili roasting. That’s because it is! Almost every corner of every city has someone set-up with a drum roaster (the best way to go if you are buying it by the sack) and stacks of 30# sacks of Green Chili.

Folks lined up to buy their yearly supply of the (in my humble opinion) best Chili grown in the world. Just step up and pick your choice of mild, medium, hot or my favorite, extra hot.

The aroma is hard to explain. Mouth watering to say the least. You can smell the Chili from blocks away. Surely something to put on your bucket list. (grin)

All right, let’s get down to roasting those dark emerald green beauties. First, get all the tools you’ll need.

• Let start with some disposable plastic gloves, the cheap ones work pretty well. We don’t want to get the capsasin all over our hands. And as a side note, try to make a potty stop before you begin, you might forget to wash your hands if you go later and that would not be a good thing…
• If I’m only roasting a small amount of Chili, I have found that using a barbeque grill works great. You can do this on your stove top by using the burners but it tends to make quite a mess when the Chili starts blistering and the seeds begin to pop.
• If you are the brave, macho type, you can turn your chili by hand; I use a set of tongs myself. (remember, seeds popping, hot chili juice coming out of the blistering) Just saying…
• A large plastic bag. You will be placing the roasted chilies in here to sweat and steam for a while. So size it for the amount of chili you have.
• A box of those zipper-top freezer bags, the sandwich size.
• An old towel.

OK, I think we’re ready to get started. Oh, one more thing, no little kiddos around. Remember, safety first. If you have a baby, have someone there to take care of him or her. No diaper changes or no touching sensitive parts, the baby or yours, when you have been handling chili! Not a good thing. Just covering your butt and mine.

Get the grill good and hot. Leave any stems on the chilies; it makes them easier to turn. Place as many chilies on the hot grill as you can without crowding them. Now, you’re going to have a lot of great smelling smoke, that’s normal. (Did I mention it smells great?) Like I said earlier, the seeds will start popping so be careful. (Long sleeves will help)  You did remember to put on your plastic gloves right? Good.

As the chili starts to roast, turn it to a fresh side. Do this often so it cooks evenly.  Keep turning it and the skin will darken and start to blister, that’s a good thing. Once the skin starts to get black in areas, and it’s OK when it does, you can remove it from the grill. Don’t take it off to soon or the peel won’t be easy to remove. Place it in your plastic bag and put on the next batch. We’re having fun now ain’t we! Smells good don’t it? Told ya.

When you have roasted all of your chili, close the plastic bag and cover it with an old towel to keep it warm. Let is sweat and steam for a while. (It makes the peeling and seeding much easier) Timing here depends on the individual. Some say 10 – 15 minutes. I leave mine for at least an hour, sometimes two if I’m having a beer to relax. Hey, we’ve been working hard with all that roasting, we deserve a beer, right? (Or two) You did wash your hands right? Good, or else they might start calling you hot lips! (burp)

Now, once your chili has steamed for while, we have to make a decision. Do we want to peel it and seed it and chop it now? Or, do we just bag it and freeze it now then peel and seed later when we are going to use it? Myself, I always choose the later. Just seems easier to me. Either way is fine.

I like to bag my chili in small bags that are just the right amount for a meal. I have found that between 5 and 7 chilies to a bag works good for me. Sometimes I get chili that is so hot I wish I had only put 2 or 3 in the bag but that doesn’t happen very often. You can peel the skin off a few and taste it. Then decide how many you want in a bag. After you taste, wait a few minutes for the flavors to come out in your mouth.

Open the plastic bag; looks pretty nasty in there don’t it? Never fear, looks are deceiving, it’s great. You do have your gloves on right?

I do this part in the sink, cause it does get a little messy but it really is worth it, trust me, just catch any chili skin and seeds in your sink strainer so you don’t clog up your pipes.

Place the bag in the sink and tear a hole in the bottom of the bag so the juices can drain out.

Now you just start putting the chilies in the freezer bags and set it aside to cool. Once the bags have cooled to room temp, flatten them a little and store in your freezer.

When you’re ready to use it, let it thaw, then under running water, peel and seed them. Only takes a few minutes. Chop them any way you like. Long slices to go on green chili burgers or chop fine for a pot of chili and beans. Your choice. I use it in everything from meatloaf to scrambled eggs and anything else I can come up with. Enjoy the best green chili you ever had.

It’s an experience you won’t soon forget but watch out, you just might find yourself looking forward to next year’s harvest as much as I do.

If you ain’t sweatin, it ain’t chili,
Chuckwagon

• 1 stewing chicken
• ½ cup of cream of chicken soup
• ½ cup of sour cream
• 1 can of chopped green chili or ½ cup chopped fresh chili
• ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon of cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• 12 flour tortillas
• oil for frying
• 1 28oz can of enchilada sauce – your choice green or red

For the garnish

Chopped tomatoes     sour cream     chopped lettuce     grated cheese     guacamole or diced avocado

Boil the chicken in an 8 quart pot until it’s falling off the bone. Drain-reserving the broth. Freeze it for future use. Remove the skin from the chicken then de-bone and shred it. Add the soup, sour cream, chilies, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Taste for any adjustments needed in the spices.

Heat a couple of inches of oil in a deep skillet until a cube of bread browns in 40 to 60 seconds.

Warm one tortilla at a time on a hot griddle. Place ¼ to ½ cup (depending on the size of your tortillas) chicken mixture across the middle of the tortilla. Fold the sides in, then roll and secure with a toothpick. Fry on all sides until golden brown. Place on a oven safe platter in a warm oven until all your chimichangas are rolled, fried and ready to serve.

Garnish as desired. I like to serve these with Spanish rice and refried beans. Enjoy!

If you ain’t sweatin, it ain’t chili,

Chuckwagon 505

• 1 cup of prepared biscuit mix
• ¼ cup of cold water
• 1 lb ground beef or meat of your choice
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of ground oregano
• ¼ teaspoon of pepper
• ½ cup of dry bread crumbs
• 1 can of tomato sauce (8oz)
• ¼ cup of chopped onion
• ¼ cup of chopped green chilies
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup of milk
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• ½ teaspoon of dry mustard
• 2 cups of cheddar cheese – shredded

Preheat your oven to 375°

Mix the baking mix and water until soft dough forms; beat vigorously for about 30 seconds. Gently smooth the dough into a ball on a floured board. Knead the dough 4-5 times. Roll it out to 2 inches larger than your pie plate. Gently place the dough into the pie plate then flute the edge.

Cook the ground beef until brown; drain the grease. Stir in the salt, oregano, pepper, breadcrumbs, tomato sauce, onion and green chilies. Spread into the pie crust.

Beat the egg and milk. Stir in the remaining ingredients and spread over the beef mixture. Bake until the crust is golden, about 30 minutes. Enjoy!

If you ain’t sweatin, it ain’t chili,

Chuckwagon 505

• 1 8oz package of manicotti shells
• 2 cups of cooked chicken – cubed (sometimes I’ll use shredded leftover pork roast)
• 2 cups of Pepper Jack cheese – shredded
• 1½ cups of cheddar cheese – shredded
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 1 small onion – diced
• 5-6 chopped fresh green chilies or 1 can of chopped green chilies
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup – undiluted
• 1 cup of salsa – I like hot
• ? cup of milk

While the manicotti is cooking to package directions, combine the chicken, 1½ cups of Pepper Jack, the cheddar cheese, sour cream, half of the onion and 6 tablespoons of chilies.

In another bowl, combine the soup, salsa, milk and the remaining onion and chilies.

Spread ½ cup of this mixture into a greased 13×9 inch baking dish.

Drain the manicotti and stuff each with about ¼ cup of chicken mixture. Place them over the sauce in the baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce over the shells.

Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with the remaining Pepper Jack cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!

If you ain’t sweatin, it ain’t chili,

Chuckwagon 505

• 5-6 green chilies – chopped (you can use canned)
• ¼ lb of cubed cheddar cheese
• 5 eggs
• 5 tablespoons of cream
• ¾ teaspoon of salt
• ? teaspoon of pepper

Grease an 8-inch pie pan. Mix all ingredients together and pour into the pie pan.

Bake at 300° for 30 minutes. It doesn’t get any easer than that. Enjoy!

If you ain’t sweatin, it ain’t chili,

Chuckwagon 505

PS. Thanks Carol.