RENEE'S ROOTS

Down with Hatch? Try a local poblano instead

By Renee Studebaker
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Now that the Hatch chile hooplah has died down, I have something to say that might make some of you mad: Hatch chiles are not the best peppers on the planet.

Now don't get me wrong. I love a freshly roasted Hatch chile topped with cheese and wrapped in a warm tortilla. But the green chiles I grow in my garden and the ones I buy from Austin area farmers this time of year are every bit as tasty and a whole lot easier to find.

In other words, Hatch chiles are not the only peppers worth getting excited about. When it's pepper season, we've got plenty of great options right here at home.

In Central Texas, pepper season heats up in mid-September, peaks in October and continues until the first frost. If you have a community supported agriculture subscription, you're likely to be receiving loads of all sorts of peppers about now.

Quick side note: For one of the most amazing displays of fresh-from-the-farm chile peppers — in all shapes, sizes, colors and heat levels — check out the Scott Arbor Farm booth at the Downtown Farmers Market on Saturdays. At the moment, I am seriously in love with the farm's red poblano peppers (not too hot and with a pleasing note of smoky sweetness). Running a close second are the Anaheim green chiles, which, when roasted, stuffed with cheese and topped with a simple rajas sauce, are about as close to heaven as a pepper-lover can get without dying first. And finally, if you've never cooked with sweet Italian peppers, you are really missing something. Scott Arbor Farm's Italian peppers are the biggest and tastiest I've ever tried.

I've got an idea. Why not stage our own annual pepper festival? How about celebrating chile pequin season? This tiny but extremely hot pepper, which is said to be the genetic grandmother of all peppers (even Hatch peppers), grows wild all over Austin. Birds love it; in fact, it's nicknamed "bird pepper." You've probably got some growing right now in your backyard.

How about a "Bird Pepper" festival in early October? Is there a festival-free weekend left? And with some good buzz from food and garden bloggers (plus a savvy marketing plan), I think this could work. I recently came across a Milwaukee foodie blogging about the excitement of standing in line to buy freshly roasted Hatch chiles. In Milwaukee? Marketing is an amazing thing.

rstudebaker@statesman.com; 445-3946

For your next fall garden brunch, try this Hot Peppers in Vodka recipe from the new book "Canning and Preserving Your Own Harvest" by Carla Emery and Lorene Edwards Forkner (Sasquatch Books, $16.95). It's the perfect starting place for a spicy Bloody Mary cocktail, and a great way to use a bunch (maybe a quarter peck?) of those chile pequins growing in your backyard. Hurry before the birds eat them all.

Hot Peppers in Vodka

2 cups good-quality vodka

A handful of fresh cayenne peppers, chile pequins or serranos

1 Tbsp. black peppercorns

1/4 tsp. ground dry chiles

Combine all ingredients in a clean, dry jar and let stand for a few days out of direct sun. Taste after 1 day to see how strong the peppers are and to determine how hot you want your finished infusion to be. (Length of steeping time determines the final level of spiciness.)

When the flavor is to your liking, strain into a pitcher or measuring cup; let stand, covered, overnight to allow any sediment to settle. Decant the finished vodka into a clean bottle. Cap or cork and store in the freezer before serving.

— Adapted from 'Canning and Preserving Your Own Harvest'

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Red Chiles and Creme Fraiche

Oil for sauteeing

1 cup chopped sweet red pepper (red bells are fine here, but sweet Italians or Cubanelles are even better)

1 apple, peeled and chopped

1 1/4 cups chopped sweet onion

1 clove garlic, chopped

Several hefty pinches of sea salt

4 cups butternut squash, roasted, peeled and mashed (see roasting directions below)

3 1/4 cups of good quality chicken or vegetable broth

2 cups milk, whole or lowfat

1/2 tsp. cumin powder

1 tsp. curry powder

1 Tbsp. molasses

1 cup Vermont Butter & Cheese Co. prepared creme fraiche (available at Central Market)

1/2 cup red poblano pepper puree (see recipe below)

In a large skillet with olive oil, saute sweet peppers, apples and onions on low heat until soft and lightly browned. Stir in garlic and salt. Cook a few more minutes, then stir in squash and broth. Transfer mixture to a soup pot and stir in milk, cumin, curry and molasses. Cover and bring soup again to a slow simmer. Turn off heat and puree soup using an immersion blender. (Or in small batches in a food processor.) Serve hot with a dollop of creme fraiche and pepper puree.

To roast butternut squash: Slice squash in half, brush with olive oil and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake in a 375-degree oven until squash is soft, with lightly browned edges (about 40 minutes depending on size of squash). When done, scoop the squash away from its skin with a spoon.

To make pepper puree: Wash and trim away stem ends of 4 or 5 red poblano peppers. Remove seeds. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and bake on a cookie sheet in a 375-degree oven until the peppers are blistered and toasty brown around the edges (about 20 minutes). Puree cooled peppers in a blender (or use immersion blender) with about 1/4 cup of broth and a big pinch of salt. Press mixture through a strainer to remove bits of pepper skin.

— Renee Studebaker

Got chile peppers? Try one of these quick fixes

• Roast poblanos or Anaheims until blistered and brown, cover with a cloth until cool, then peel (wear gloves!) and cut into strips. Add strips to mac 'n' cheese. Pile them on cheese nachos. Mix with sautéed onions and cheese for a tasty quesadilla filling. Sautée chopped leftover roast chicken and onion slices, spoon into a warm flour tortilla and top with roasted chiles. (Freeze leftover pepper strips.)

• Sauté sweet red chiles and add to vegetable soup, squash casserole or quiche. Or toss on pizza.

• Make a sweet or hot pepper purée. Blend roasted peppers with a little broth (vegetable or chicken) and use as sauce for grilled meats. Or mix purée with mayo to add zip to your sandwiches.

• Cut raw sweet peppers into small squares and use as dipping chips for hummus, cheese dip, or herbed goat cheese. Make a quick fresh salad with mix of julienned raw sweet peppers, sweet onion and jicama. Toss with lemon juice and sprinkle with sea salt mixed with ground cayenne pepper. (Add thin strips of crisp apple for a sweeter salad.)

• Make your own hot red pepper flakes. Chile pequins are perfect for this because they're so small and dry so quickly. Place ripe red chile pequins on a tray in a dry, well-ventilated area of your home. When they're dry and crunchy, place in a jar or plastic bag and keep in the freezer.

For quick drying, place the tiny peppers on a cookie sheet in a warm oven (at lowest setting) until crisp.

- Renee Studebaker