It’s fall in New England and it’s beautiful. Fall — my favorite season — is all about comfort. For Mexicans comfort comes in the many chile peppers that flavor and distinguish their food. Chile warms you up and make everything a bit richer and more comforting. Soups, stews and meats of all persuasions benefit from the flavors of chile.

When I travel to California friends and family can hardly believe my tales of fresh green chile from local farms in New England. Some local New England chiles are much tastier than what you might pick-up at a supermarket. The good news is all over the North America continent Jalapeños, Serranos, Anaheims and Poblanos are easily found and frequently organic. It’s great for chile lovers.

Each year at about this time, I visit one of my favorite local growers to stock- up. I am delighted when I see Chilacas and each year, I forget to offer a correction on the signage. The vendor labels them Pasilla, but actually in their green form they are Chilacas and quite a treat whenever you find them. They are very fleshy which makes them delicious and well suited as a vegetable side dish.

Pasilla, the dried form of Chilaca, is generally hotter than the green Chilaca. Chilacas are more frequently on the mild side of hotness, but full of flavor.

If you visit the Mexican food site at Bellaonline, you’ll find a green salsa recipe that is robust and hot, but can be made mild by substituting Chilacas or Jalapeños. Its a simple recipe and a great way to benefit from the depth of flavor that salsas at your table add.

The Chilacas on our table tonight will be charred, peeled, seeded, deveined and sliced into strips to make “rajas”.

The strips are first fried with onions in hot oil (I use either grapeseed, avocado, or pork lard).

When the strips are tender, creme fraiche is added (ricotta can work as a substitute).

Commonly rajas are made with potatoes as well; but I find it too heavy and prefer to leave them out.

Rajas make a unique side dish or a wonderful filling for tacos. And are perfectly warming and comfy for fall - easy and satisfying. Try them in a quesadilla with a bowl of your favorite soup!

I hope your fall days are filled with warm and comforting food.
Here's the latest article from the Mexican Food site at BellaOnline.com.

Green Chile and Salsa Verde
A hot salsa recipe that is bursting with rustic goodness. Plus a little background on one of Mexico’s most important ingredients - chile. Salsas or sauces are a fundamental part of Mexican food and this article is a good start to mastering salsas.


http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art183467.asp

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