Roasting and Freezing Peppers

I have been enjoying fresh roasted chiles (that's 'chile' with an e, meaning peppers, not 'chili' with an i, meaning a stew made with said chiles) all winter because I froze my extras last year. 

Every summer, huge road-side signs screaming "fresh chiles!" herald the beginning of Hatch chile season here in Denver.  Bushel after bushel is carted up here from the vast chile hordes to the south and we can get as many as we want for pretty dang cheap.  Hatch vary from mild to medium and from red to yellow-green.  They are the pride of New Mexico, and I never tried a fresh one until I moved to Denver.  We weren't aware of such things as "Hatch chile season" in Michigan.  We were too focused on things like Asparagus season and Morel season and Cherry season - things that, in turn, my Denverite husband had never heard of.

I love the idea of buying lots and lots of peppers when they are cheap-o, but with just Dan and I to eat them, plus illness making it so I'm not able to cook every day, that many peppers would just go to waste.  But not if I freeze them!  I can just freeze the fresh chiles, but one thing I like to do is roast them before freezing.  It is super easy, and super delicious.  The same idea goes for roasting bell peppers... if you find a really good deal on them, grab a bunch, roast them, and you won't have to buy them in the jar.  If doing a very small batch, one to several chiles, I like to do it on the stove.  A larger batch may be easier in the oven.

It has to be a gas burner, of course; electric won't work.  You just fire up the burner on low heat and place the pepper on the burner, turning occassionally to try to get every side charred.  If your stove's grate is a little sparse and won't hold the chile, or your chile is very small, you can put another metal grate (like a draining rack) on top of that to help hold them.  But if you use a grate with thinner spokes, keep an eye on it... if it starts to glow, ummm, take it off the heat.  Quickly.

For oven roasting, just crank the oven up to 400 or 450 and place the peppers on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil.  You can drizzle a little oil and salt on top, depending on what they'll be used for, but generally I like to just roast them as-is.  The time really depends on the size of the pepper... for small chiles, 5 or 10 minutes might do it; for very large bells, maybe up to 45 minutes.  You just want to roast them until the peppers are a little dark on the outside and very fragrant.

Speaking of fragrant, isn't that the best thing about roasting your own peppers?  They smell so great.  Every time I pull one out of the freezer and nuke it for a few seconds to defrost it, my kitchen gets filled with the roasted chile smell, and it's just heavenly.

Once the peppers are roasted, place them in a paper or plastic bag, or a covered bowl for 10 minutes.  This lets the steam from the hot peppers loosen the skin and makes them easier to peel.  To peel, just wipe the peppers with a paper towel.  If some skin is difficult you can scrape it with a knife.  Be careful, though, not to cut the peppers or scrape off any of the actual flesh.  Do this on a paper towel because it is a messy job.  If freezing, just let them cool a little and place them in the freezer in a plastic baggie.  I like to freeze them whole and stem and seed them after thawing.  But you could also take the time now to slice them or cut them into whatever size and shape you will be using them, so when you pull them out of the freezer there is no further prep.

Right now in my freezer I have not only roasted Hatch chiles but also roasted jalapenos and roasted green bells.  What to use them for?  Well, whatever, really.  I love making a cream sauce with the roasted jalapenos, like I did for my Rio Zape-bean and rice cakes.  The other day I pureed roasted Hatch chiles with feta and cilantro and used it as a filling for mini spring rolls.  I used the same filling the next day in cheese enchiladas along with my usual cheddar cheese.  Roasted bells are great for all sorts of things, from Greek salads and sandwiches to roasted-pepper soup.  And of course everyone is familiar with mild green chiles being made into that lovely New Mexican green chile sauce we all enjoy.

If you have never roasted your own peppers and chiles before, give it a try, you may be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is for something so yummy.

Happy eating!