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 Fresh Chiles (Chiles Frescos)
Excerpt from The Great Chile Book, by Mark Miller & John Harrison
Most chiles are green in color while they are growing and still in their unripened state. When they ripen and reach their full maturity, almost all of them turn to shades of red, orange, yellow, or brown. Many chiles are used both green and fully ripened, as you will see. In those cases, a color may be tacked onto the name just for purposes of description and not to denote a different species - the New Mexico green and New Mexico red, for instance, are the same chile in different stages of ripeness. (To avoid confusion, try to learn Spanish words for the most common chile colors: Rojo means red; verde means green; negro means black, and amarillo means yellow. Colorado also denotes a reddish hue.) In general, the redder the chile (and therefore, the riper), the sweeter and fruitier it is, and the broader the shoulders, the milder it is.
When buying fresh chiles, select those that are mature, dry, firm, and heavy for their size. The skin should be shiny, smooth, and unblemished, and the chile should have a fresh, clean smell. Wash the chiles to remove dirt or residue, dry them, wrap them in paper towels, and store them in the crisper section of your refrigerator, where they should keep for up to two or three weeks. So not store them in plastic bags as moisture will accumulate and hasten the spoiling process, and don't leave them out in the open as they will shrivel and rapidly lose flavor and texture.
If you are at all sensitive to capsaicin, it is best to wear rubber gloves when preparing chiles, especially the hotter varieties (those over 6 on our heat scale). If you handle (and eat) chiles over a long period of time, your fingers (and taste buds) will get increasingly used to the capsaicin contained in chiles. Still, you should exercise caution: be particularly careful not to touch your face or eyes when working with chiles and wash your hands thoroughly when you are done.
It is common in many cuisines, including Southwestern and Mexican cooking, to roast or grill fresh chiles and peel them before further use. The skin, if left on, can give a bitter flavor. Roasting makes it easier to remove the skin, and also seems to bring out a fuller chile flavor, transforming the green, vegetable tones of the "raw" chile and giving it a distinctive earthy, smoky flavor. I find that following such traditional cooking techniques brings an added dimension to the cooking and dining experience.
Fresh chiles should be roasted quickly and evenly on a rack over an open gas flame, under a broiler, or on a grill. You want to blister and blacken the skin all over without burning through the flesh. One of the best ways I've found to do this is to use an inexpensive hand-held butane torch, available from good hardware stores. Roast the chiles quickly or the flesh may fall apart and lose shape. Don't even try to roast chiles unless they are firm and fresh. (An alternative to roasting is to dip fresh chiles in hot oil for about a minute to blister the skins. This method is preferable if you are using the chiles in dishes with delicate flavors - seafood salads, for example - where the smoky roasted flavor could prove overpowering.)
After roasting, the chiles should then be placed in a bowl, covered with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and allowed to "sweat" and cool. The skin can then be easily pulled off with your fingers or the edge of a knife. Do not wash roasted chiles under running water as you will dilute the natural oils and hence the delicious, smoky flavor. Split the chiles open and scoop out the seeds and pith with the tip of a knife, and remove the stem (unless you're preparing a chile relleno). Chiles can be roasted ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator for one or two days.
One of my favorite chile flavors is that of the roasted poblano, peeled and cut into thin strips or rajas. Rajas can be added to salads, soups, or tacos. I also like the flavor of smoked fresh chiles and use them to enhance everything from hot sauces to soups and salads. It gives them that special taste of the outdoors. If you have a smoker, you can smoke chiles at home. Use a sweet fruit wood, such as apple, and smoke the chiles for about 40 minutes.
In cooking, I use fresh chiles primarily for flavor accents. At the same time, I take into consideration their heat, texture, and color. Fresh chiles vary widely in heat, acidity, and citrus quality, and should be used accordingly. For example, the habanero with its lively taste reminiscent of mango or papaya and its hot, clear qualities is probably my most favorite chile of all. It, and its close relative, the Scotch bonnet, will pick up the flavors of a tropical salsa by reinforcing the fruity tropical tones. Serranos, with their sharper green accents, go particularly well with tomatoes and cilantro and would be my choice for a dish that contains those ingredients. If you are using roasted chiles to make a sauce, try using a blend of two or three compatible types instead of a single variety. For example, poblanos, jalapenos, and serranos complement each other well, and combing them adds a pleasing complexity to a sauce. This is something you can experiment with as you become more comfortable cooking with chiles.
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