Every now and then, I may just feel the need to write about something other than this site, our amazing animal companions, or anything animal related at all. Right now, the smell wafting past my portal (covered patio for those of you not in the Southwest) has caused one of these such moments.
Santa Fe is often mentioned in terms of the aromatic qualities in the air. In the colder months, it’ the smell of pinon burning in the kivas (fireplaces). I love the smell of pinon in the air (it’s so wonderfully comforting, I may never think of Christmas without it again), but there is an aroma that comes a bit earlier in the year that sends me swooning. It’s the wondrous, deep, heady smell of roasting New Mexico green chiles. I am feeling a need to wax poetic here and I can’t promise you anything new, because goodness knows here in NM enough has been written about the chiles here that I can’t imagine anything more ever being written. But there is something about that aroma that makes anything having to do with them (even writing about them) irresistible.
Yes, it’s that time of year again. Harvest time in Hatch, NM. The largest crops are there, but there are chile farms spotted all along the Rio Grande’s wonderfully rich farmlands (yes, wonderfully rich farmland does exist along the rivers here in NM). This is only my second August in Santa Fe, but I seem to recollect this aroma and the first hints of fall coincided, so, to me, it seems a bit early. If that’s the case, wonderful! Please do not confuse, this is not the jalapeno or the anaheim from so many wonderful dishes back home in California and other locales. This is the native New Mexico green chile (and red), sometimes referred to as Hatch green chiles. Their amazingly intoxicating aroma travels through the air from all directions as there are stands and drum roasters set up in just about every parking lot or shopping center in town during harvest season.
These are the chiles from whence the official New Mexico state question “Red or Green?” emanates. To many the question is actually “Red, Green or Christmas?” “Christmas” being a bit of both red and green on just about anything you can imagine. The New Mexican penchant for continually finding new things to add chile to is something to admire. For me the answer is most often green. I do occasionally like a good red (especially in winter) or xmas for a change of pace, but my heart and taste buds are truly dedicated to the green. There is something so heady about NM green.
They are also a blessing at 7200 feet as they have a way of impacting the lungs as to make breathing easier. At least my addiction makes me believe that. I truly have no scientific facts to back that up, but it sure does feel that way. It can take a while to truly adjust to life above 7000 feet and last year, they were my blessing. This year, they’re not so much medicinal in terms of breathing, but they do have their own luscious and unique high of sorts. Eating New Mexico green chiles makes me happy. Literally puts a smile on my face. Completely and totally out of my control, I eat NM green chiles and there it is. Happy. Big toothy grin. Giggles. It could just be the heat . . .
Their heat can make you feel like the roof of your mouth is being peeled away, but, not always, as you can get NM green chile in mild, medium, hot and scalding. The taste that makes them such a necessary part of my life isn’t compromised by the degree of heat. They are delicious however you like or can handle them. I don’t believe they harm the way other chiles do, even in their hottest form. Don’t get me wrong, while ingesting them at their hottest they will challenge you at every bite. Unlike many other scalding chiles, however, I find the depth and breadth of damage to be milder in the long run no matter how hot the original interaction may be. It’s not a lasting or a damaging heat, yet it does leave behind it’s own unique sensation. A pleasant numbing . . . that actually causes me to crave more.
They have a wonderful smokey, piquant and earthy flavor that can turn a grilled cheese sandwich or a cheeseburger into an otherworldly experience. For those of you not from here, you can order the native chiles fresh from a number of farms here in NM and have them shipped to you. I would suggest you do, as although the popularity of chiles is rising in the US, there are fewer and fewer chile farms here in NM. It’s sad. This native chile, that is so wondrous and can be adapted in so many non-New Mexican cuisine ways, deserves recognition beyond the Rocky Mountain region. Try some, even if you aren’t visiting. Just do a google search and have them sent to you. No, you won’t have the drum roasters we have spotted all over town, but you will relish the smell of them roasting in your own kitchen. Trust me. It’s a lovely addiction to foster.
