Roasted Anaheim Peppers

I love the flavor of roasted peppers, and not being a fan of hot and spicy flavors, I especially appreciate the mild peppers. Thus, there are three anaheim pepper plants in the herb bed this year.  And yes, note to self, just like zucchini, one plant would have been enough 😬.  They are happy plants, loaded with peppers to the point of needing to be tied up with stakes, and even tied up, they are straining at their load.  So it's time to harvest . . . 

Well I must be honest, this is my second harvest, the first was, well, less than successful.  After researching different methods of roasting chilies I had decided on roasting them in the oven, following some guidance I had read on temperatures and times.  Remember the turkey dinner from Christmas Vacation when Clark cut into the turkey?  Yeah, that's pretty much the way my chilies turned out on that first attempt, poof, completely disintegrated.  So don't be discouraged, failures happen, just put on your big people apron and continue on.

There are other ideas out there - steaming, under the broiler, and roasting at different times and temperatures.

But on my quest - second attempt, nailed it!  Another recommended method was the grill, and this worked perfectly, they were amazing! 

Here’s the steps -

After heating the grill to high, place the chilies on the grill with a little space between them.  Lower the lid, and then every couple of minutes open the grill and turn the chilies, allowing the charring to be fairly even all the way around. This process should take about 10-15 minutes.  Remove chilies from the grill and place in a gallon ziploc bag, seal the bag and allow them to steam and cool for about 15 minutes.  This results in the charred skin pealing off effortlessly, and allows them to cool to the point of being able to work with them comfortably.  Peal off the skin and split the chilies open, they are very soft at this point and should split open easily with your fingers.  Remove the core and the seeds, using a spoon to scoop out any stubborn seeds that don’t wipe away easily, don’t worry if you miss a seed or two.  Now - it’s time for a taste test - they are amazing!

So I have roasted anaheim peppers that taste incredible, now what? That question has yet to be fully answered, there’s many recipe ideas to be tried and tested! But for starters, while I was removing skins and seeds, I placed a handful of chilies in a fry pan with a little avocado oil, stirred in a couple of scrambled eggs, garnished with garden tomato slices, and lunch was served! Yum!

What to do with the rest?  Well, check back here for more ideas, perhaps a chili relleno? Or a Pork Chili Verde may soon be on the menu! If you like a fresh salsa, use these roasted chilies in this Pico De Gallo recipe, or try making this wonderful Salsa Verde, it’s good on everything! These will also be perfect to place in freezer bags and use in that stew or soup this winter.  More to follow!  

Enjoy!