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How to roast chiles, plus four great recipes

Tender potatoes are pureed with heavy cream to form the base for this rich and satisfying soup, with roasted diced chiles folded in for subtle heat. Recipe: Potato green chile soup

Tender potatoes are pureed with heavy cream to form the base for this rich and satisfying soup, with roasted diced chiles folded in for subtle heat.
Recipe: Potato green chile soup

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
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When you want to add extra flavor and depth to a recipe, consider roasting your chiles and peppers before using them. It’s a super-easy technique, and can be used in a huge variety of recipes.

First, put whole fresh chiles or peppers on a rack over a stove-top burner -- if you’re roasting large peppers that will fit directly onto the burner grate without slipping through, you can skip the rack -- and turn on the burner. Rotate the chiles over the fire using a set of tongs just until the outer skin blackens and blisters and becomes charred on all sides. Don’t leave the chiles over the burner too long or they’ll burn.

Place the charred chiles in a paper bag or in a bowl covered with plastic wrap just until they’re cool enough to handle. After about 10 minutes, remove the charred skin by rubbing it off using a paper towel or dish rag. Never wash the chiles to remove the skin -- this will only wash off all that great roasted flavor you worked so hard to get.

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Three-bean and hominy chili

Recipe: Three-bean and hominy chili
(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Classic chili may be all about the meat, but a bean-based chili can be surprisingly rich and full-flavored as well. This mixed-bean chili with hominy is a colorful dish with a ton of flavor. And no one would know it’s vegetarian unless you mentioned it.

Spiced butternut squash stew

Recipe: Butternut squash stew.
(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

For this quick stew, simmer cubed butternut squash with browned onions, raisins and roasted peppers. Thicken the broth with stale whole-grain bread and cream, rounding out the flavors with sweet notes of maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg.

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Bowl of red

Recipe: Bowl of red
(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

This chili is a project, but the results are worth the work and wait. Pork isn’t usually found in Texas red chili, but the bacon in this recipe helps thicken the sauce and lends so much flavor. Stew the chili with onion, garlic and fresh-roasted chiles. Then add tomatoes -- that’s discouraged in certain schools too, but the acidity helps brighten the chili and focus all those flavors. Finally, throw in a beer, a good dark stout, to lift the flavors a little more.

Potato green chile soup

Tender potatoes are pureed with heavy cream to form the base for this rich and satisfying soup, with roasted diced chiles folded in for subtle heat. Recipe: Potato green chile soup

Tender potatoes are pureed with heavy cream to form the base for this rich and satisfying soup, with roasted diced chiles folded in for subtle heat.
Recipe: Potato green chile soup

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Tender potatoes are puréed with heavy cream to form the base for this velvety soup, with roasted diced chiles folded in for subtle heat.

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