The Chiles of Oaxaca

Some of our most requested chile seeds are for that of the Chiles of Oaxaca, Mexico.  To be specific, the Chilhuacles, the heart and soul of the Oaxacan moles.  The most sought after being the the very rare Chilhuacle Negro.  I don't know for certain how word spreads of these lovely varieties, rather it be a cooking shows, foodie forums, blog posting or recipe sites, but I can always tell when these lovelies come up in discussion because I get spurts of inquiries for seed availability.

I don't know what happened this growing season but the Oaxacan chiles have performed beyond any other season that I have grown them.  They can be very difficult here on the Texas Gulf Coast, namely due to the coastal humidity and of course, the fact the I have to grow them containers. Everything must have been just right this season.  Not too much rain but just enough, the extreme heat did not arrive until August.  What ever the case, it has been a bountiful season for the Oaxacans in Texas.

Here is a photo of the Tres Chilhuacles.  

The Chilhuacle Amarillo - My personal favorite for it's citrus and tangy flavor bearing smokey undertones.  I particularly like this one to season rice cooked in chicken broth.  The fruit are very hardy on the plant.

The Chilhuacle Negro - The rich smokey flavor with deep raisin / plum overtones cannot be compared.  Because the pods seem to begin to hold too much moisture and tend to rot even without any sign on the exterior, the timing of the harvest is paramount, at least in humid conditions.  Once harvested, cut open the pod and allow to dry unless using immediately.

The Chilhuacle Rojo - The most versatile, prolific and hardy of the trio.  With all of these favorable traits, the Rojo variation can be used fresh for beautiful rich red sauces or dried and ground to powder for chili sauces and seasoning blends.

We found this informative website of the chiles, spices, foods and cuisine of Oaxaca, Mexico. I think you will enjoy exploring Oaxacan-Restaurants.com

Peppermania if proud to offer The Chilhuacles and other chiles of Mexico for Season 2011.

Look for recipes incorporating the Oaxacan chiles posted at Peppermania Texas in the future.

Adios!
Beth in Texas

El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer

The Mysterious Voyage of Our Homer

My absolute favorite episode of The Simpsons.  I am really more of a KOTH chica but even Hank Hill pales to Johnny Cash as the spiritual coyote and "the merciless peppers of Quetzalacatenango… grown deep in the jungle primeval by the inmates of a Guatemalan insane asylum" aka The Guatemalan Insanity Pepper.  Beware Chief Wiggum serving chili!

Grab a cold one (since Homer can't have one) and watch the  

Season 8 Espisode 9 of The Simpsons. 

The ending is so romantic!

DOH!
Beth in Texas

Hatch Chile Shrimp Boats

This recipe was inspired by one of my visits to New Mexico. I made a point to visit the Albuquerque Aquarium which resides on the Rio Grande River. There was an "on the water" display of an authentic shrimp boat moored to a small dock. I spoke with a very gentlemanly volunteer about how much I enjoyed the shrimp boat display. He was very passionate when he explained the neighborly bond New Mexico shared with Texas, bound by the River Rio Grande.  I present Texas Shrimp with New Mexico Chiles.  And yes, I had New Mexico chiles and Texas Shrimp on the ready.  The shrimp actually absorbed more of the chile flavor than I had anticipated so was a nice compliment to the marinade.

Grilled Hatch Chile Shrimp Boats

8 - 10 Limes, juiced
1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 C Red Onion, coursely chopped*
1 Clove Elephant Garlic, thinly sliced
1 Tbs Red Chile Flakes, Cayenne recommended
1-1/2 Tsp Ground Cumin
1 Tsp Course Ground Black Pepper
1 Pound Medium Shrimp, shelled and de-veined, Texas Wild shrimp recommended
6 - 8 Hatch Chiles, large with 1 flat side, room temperature
8 Cups Mexican rice or other, cooked (optional)

Marinade*:
Combine first seven (7) ingredients for the marinade.  Add prepared shrimp into a covered container or zipper bag.  Seal and refrigerate for at least one hour but no more than 3 hours or you will have the makings of ceviche.

Preparation:
Prepare grill grate by coating with cooking oil or spray oil.  Preheat grill to 300º
Set Hatch Chiles on their “flatside” and with a sharp knife cut out approximate 3/4" opening the length of the chile pod. Remove seeds but leave stem intact.  Add small amount of Red Onion and Elephant Garlic from marinade into the Hatch Chile “boats”.  Add 5 - 6 Shrimp into each “boat”, laying them on the backs with “head and tail” up.

Place loaded Shrimp Boats on the grill surface, offset from direct flame.  Grill until Shrimp just turn pink, approximately 10 - 15 minutes.  Keep grill cover closed to retain heat but check and/or move Shrimp Boats as needed as not to char the Hatch chiles too much.

Serving:
Carefully remove Hatch Chile Shrimp Boats from grill to platter.  Plate each Shrimp Boat on bed of Mexican rice or rice seasoned to your taste.  Serve with salad suggestion*

*Cool Summer Salad Suggestion:
Set aside 1/4 Cup of marinade to dress salad BEFORE adding to shrimp.  
Chop extra ½ Cup Red Onion for optional side salad of chopped ½ Cup Red Orion, 2 Diced Tomatoes and 1 Chopped Cucumber.  Add marinade dressing and toss.

Hatch Comes To H-Town

I rarely venture into "town", meaning Houston proper, but I always find I have to make the really not so far journey when Central Market brings the Hatch Chile to town. 

I am not truly fond of roasted Hatch chile, gastronomically, it is more rough on my system than eating a Trinidad Scorpion over the course of 1 hour.  I still find my way each year to see what they have "Hatch'd".  This year they had a beautiful brochure of all of the Hatchified selections that they were offering including some tasties like various meats, cheeses and bakery items and then a couple of items sound just plain ridiculous, like Cinnamon Vanilla Hatch Gelato.  I only gathered a few of the Hatch pods, I still have some in the deep freeze to smoke so my adventure was pretty much just a lookie-lou trip.  I did pick up a couple of bakery items, very good but little sign of chile in them.  

The Hatch Pepper Cheddar loaf was a bargain, even at $5 a loaf.  I am sorry it is gone now.  Nice fat Dog Buns, too.

 The Hatch chiles were fresh but alas, no red ones again this year.  A pretty weak selection of other chiles too.

While I was in town I finally made it to the Urban Harvest Farmers Market to check it out as as a customer and for vendor potentuality.  I was late, it was hot but well worth the stop.  The Zydeco Dots were playing, I pick up some fresh Texas Wild Shrimp and scoped out the almost non-existent chile pepper scene.

I was happy to see this chile pepper display by one of the community farms.  Always happy to see this kind of harvest in the city.

I have to mention this hardworking couple and their Revival Meats.  I regret not purchasing any of their pork but I will return to the market even if just for their pork.

More Photos From The Day and A Visit To Hatch NM, May 2006