Green Chiles

 

The Mesilla Valley, where Las Cruces is nestled, is famed worldwide for its flavorful green chiles. Note the spelling! It's "chile" and "chiles" with just an "e" -- not the "i" spelling denoting Texas chili! (Strangely, a local chile grower, Biad, spells it with an "i" on their boxes and signs. Very odd!) Chiles are the best part of local cuisine, and this time of year, you can smell them roasting in the open air, literally by the ton. Everyone wants to stock up on roasted green chiles for the year. 

The fruits -- yes, they are fruits, not vegetables -- are placed in a big mesh barrel, and rotated over searing flames until the skin blackens and blisters. A good roaster can char the chiles so expertly that there is very little skin left to remove. They then spray it with water from the hose and it steams the chile to perfection, to the perfect doneness.The charred part just wipes or rinses away. 

Some families enjoy buying a big box or burlap bag of chiles and roasting them at home, with everyone pitching in to get them ready to freeze. Some buy just a few chiles and roast them on a comal, a flat piece of heavy steel set over a burner. 

Walmart sells boxes of chiles (it's very exciting when you see the first boxes appear in stores), and so do other stores, including famed hole-in-the-wall souvenier, ristras, and statuary shop "Ristrammn" (everyone says "Ristra Man," but its actually spelled Ristrammn) in nearby Mesilla.

Chiles are full of vitamin C. In fact, they quite put oranges and other citrus to shame in terms of C! 

Everyone will tell you, and we are here to assure you it's true, that there is no cuisine better than New Mexican food. It's true. The chiles are the secret! Be sure to try Chiles Rellenos when you get here. They're on menus across the city, with two of the best recipes being found at Si Señor and Zia Cafe: Battered, cheese-stuffed, deep fried green chiles served with red or green (chile) sauce. Delectable! Local eatery Matteo's offers Green Chile Horchata, a delicious milk and rice-based drink, and Caliche's Frozen Custard has chopped green chile as a topping for their custard sundaes (custards are a rich ice cream) or their "caliches" (frozen drink that Northerners know as a "concrete"). As we say here, "Muy rico!"