While the sweltering heat of long summer days slowly draw to a close, the seasons change and Autumn takes over with cool evenings and breezy days. And with that comes my most favorite part of the year, the green chile harvest. Green chiles begin to reach their peak in late July but are still growing and being harvested well into September, including in my own garden. Freshly roasted Anaheim chiles are delicious when simmered with pork to make a mouth-watering stew- Chile Verde. Or you could use dark green poblanos for a succulent dish of Chile Rellenos, made by stuffing the chiles with cheese and then frying them to a crisp golden brown.
Don’t have fresh chiles? Mex Grocer has you covered.
Green chiles are the key flavor to thousands of Mexican and Southwest dishes so always make sure to keep some canned green chiles in your pantry in case you’re in the mood for a green chile dish and you don’t have any fresh ones available. The canned varieties have already been roasted and the seeds removed which saves you a few steps.
Quick and Easy Green Chile Recipe-
For a quick side dish, slice up a white onion and begin to cook it in a lightly oiled cast iron pan. While the onions are cooking, roast about 2 lbs of green chiles until the skin is blackened. Peel the blackened skin off, remove the stem area and scrape out the seeds. Slice the chiles into 1/4 inch strips and cook it with the onion until the onions are beginning to caramelize and turn brown. Pour about 1/4 cup of heavy cream (or half and half) into the pan, and let the onions and chiles simmer in it for just a minute or two and serve immediately. It is called “Rajas” and makes a great side dish or filling for quesadillas.
Find more of my Mexican recipes at Mexican Food at About.com