Bring It On, Autumn

September 2 -  What is your favorite thing about Autumn?

There are so many traditions associated with Autumn that it has become my favorite season. Have you ever smelled roasting green chiles? Once you've experienced it, you will never forget it. And the city-wide aroma fills the air signaling the return of Autumn in New Mexico. People stand in lines with 40lb sacks of green chiles, waiting for their turn at the chile roaster. The chiles are taken home, peeled and frozen. Oh, my, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Chiles left to ripen and turn red are strung into bright ristras that are hung in homes to provide chile year round.

Green chiles await their turn in the roaster, with red chile ristras shown in the background.

Autumn is the end of the year for me for it is the end of the growing season. What was planted in the spring, then nurtured over the summer is gathered with glee, especially if the kids have been involved. There are harvest festivals all over towns and cities. Horse drawn wagons full of hay bales haul giddy children in village parades. And farmers' markets booths overflow with vegetables and flowers.

How to Make a Basic Red Chile Sauce

June 29 --Write a "How To" post

I think I had promised someone to
 post my recipe for making red chile sauce. In New Mexico, we use this on everything, from enchiladas to eggs.

I came from South Texas where red sauce consisted of a can of Hormel Chili. Notice that "chili" and "chile" are two different words with different meanings. They are not interchangeable. Chile refers to the plant that the peppers come from.

Green chile is usually fresh, then roasted in a large rotating basket over a propane burner. You can also roast a few at a time on your grill or even in the oven. Ummm, nothing says fall like the smell of chiles roasting. Many people buy them in 40lb bags. They take them home after they're roasted, sort them into freezer bags and pop them into the freezer. Some people take the time to peel and chop the chiles before freezing them. Not me---too much work for one sitting. I actually get only a few at a time and roast them myself. I also buy them already chopped and frozen.

Red chile comes from the same plant as the green. They've just been left to ripen and dried. You can buy whole, dried chiles in bags to use over the season. People also tie the drying chiles into ristras, a staggered grouping of chiles that hang from the ceiling where they can be accessed throughout the year. These are quite expensive, but people love them to use as decorations, especially tourists. Red chile can also be purchased crushed or powdered.

When we speak of chile-with-an-E powder, it is pure dried red chiles. Chili powder most commonly sold in stores is chile plus other spices such as cominos (cumin), oregano, garlic, and salt. It is often used to make chili con carne (like Hormel or Wolf) with or without beans. Aficionados of Texas chili con carne says beans or tomatoes are not to be included. To my mother, enchiladas are covered with chili con carne. Not here. We top them with the red sauce made from the red chiles.

This recipe is not my own, but it is the one I use. It comes from a little booklet called License to Cook New Mexico Style and is "collected by the members of the New Mexico Federation of Business and Professional Women" from across New Mexico.

Red Chile  Sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

3 TBS olive oil or lard

2 TBS flour

1/2 cup ground red chile

2 cups water

about 1/4 tsp salt

Saute garlic in oil. Blend in flour; add chile powder and blend. (Don't let pan get too hot as chile will burn.) Blend in water and cook to desired consistency. Add salt to taste. Store in refrigerator or freezer.

Disfrute de su comida

Note: all photos are slurped from the internet