IT WAS A SCENE FROM A STEVEN KING NOVEL - A Sunday red chile bash whets Sunny’s appetite.
RED CHILE MASSACRE
I saw red when I arrived at Anna Lyles' place last Sunday. Thick red liquid dripped from tabletops, blenders, pots and pans and wooden spoons. Also dressed in the red goop was Anna herself. So were her friends Kim Karnes and Deb Cotter. Red dripped from their fingertips and smeared their aprons. Even the family dog "blushed" with the stuff. Had I not know better, I would have thought I had walked onto a scene from a Steven King novel.
But the setting before me was much more palatable. It was a beautiful, sunny autumn afternoon. A light wind kept the heated rays at bay. Anna and her friends were on the front porch, just about knee-deep in red chile sauce. "Making the sauce together has been a tradition for about three years now," says Anna, whose nose was smudged with Navajoa chile red. . (Missing from the traditional foursome was Linda Cleary.)
On normal days, Anna superintends five kids -ages 3 to 19, a dog, a horse, and a "guest" goat, "A friend asked me to keep him overnight one time but that was three years ago," she chuckles. Then there's husband Steve who, for 15 years, has spent long days overseeing the nearby fields. The Lyles own 250 acres fecund with cotton and a sea of vegetables, including "all kinds of chiles: cayenne, red and green, jalapeno and the medium-hot Navajoa red chile," she says. Steve's father, Z.T. Lyles also grows red chile on his farm in Hagerman, about 10 miles south of Roswell. "He uses his chile as a dye," Anna explained.
Preparing red chile sauce, especially in large quantities, is no easy task. The three friends were unable to estimate just how much they had processed since early that morning. But nearby, two giant plastic barrels were topped off with the creamy red concoction whose earthy aroma set my tummy a-grumblin'. Anna came to the rescue, furnishing me with a flour tortilla for chile sauce dunking. Its deep rich flavor, with just the right amount of heat, was ruthlessly addictive. I dunked some more and stopped only this side of embarrassment.
The chile sauce processing begins by cleaning the pods in water, snipping off their lids, and shaking out as many seeds as possible. Anna uses both fresh and dried chiles, "about half and half," she says. Next, the chiles are softened in two large kettles filled with water and maintained at a rolling boil over propane burners. "Once the chiles have softened," says Anna, "they're ready for the blender. As Deb cleaned and boiled the pods, Kim and Anna kept the blenders churning. "We add one garlic clove to each blender full," Anna explained. Both chile juice and fresh water is added for the puréeing process. Following, the sauce is poured into a separator, a convenient contraption that divides the pulp and remaining seeds from the chile's jacket.
"After the sauce cools, we put them in quart-size plastic bags for freezing. My favorite dish is posole drizzled with red chile sauce and topped with a dollop of sour cream. I also use the sauce for enchiladas, tacos and burritos. They're easy to make," says the busy mother.
At visit's end, Kim sent me home with two jars of sliced jalapenos that she and her friends canned at a previous gathering. And Anna loaded me down with several containers of red chile sauce. That evening mi espouso and I doused the fevered sauce on boneless, baked chicken and long grain rice. And for today's lunch, I opted for red sauce rather than ketchup on my hotdog and topped it off with five of Kim's jumpin' jalapenos. Once again, it's been one of those unforgettable chile-icious weeks.
THE CHIPOTLE CHALLENGE
Many thanks to Philly Dickson, Kevin McNelis and Polly Boyles, each of whom contacted me with the name of businesses that sell dried chipolte, an item a reader has been searching for locally. Philly Dickson says she buys powdered chipotle at the Santa Fe Cooking School in Santa Fe. "I put it in a shaker and use it all the time. I love it but it's expensive."
Polly informed that Penzy Spices lists dried chipotle in their catalog. The free catalog can be ordered from their web site (http://www.penzy.com), or by writing PO Box 933, W19362 Apollo Drive, Muskego, Wisconsin 53150 or by email internet@penzeys.com or by calling 1-414-679-7207.
Dried chipotle can also be ordered from Pendery's (http://www.penderys.com). Visit their web site or email info@penderys.com or by call 1-800-533-1870 or by write 1221 Manufacturing St., Dallas, Texas 75207. According to Kevin, Pendery's sells a quarter pound of dried chipotles for about $5, "which is a whole lot of chipolte," he offered.
Perhaps we can encourage some of our local supermarkets and specialty stores to stock the pod. Give 'em a call.
