Smokin' chilies at the park

The Vore just got a new toy, a radio. So we took it with us to the park for our weekly BBQ. I knew we'd have plenty of time to kill before the Vore was bored with his new toy, so I decided to bring some chilies I had just gotten at the farmers market. The chilies grown in Kansas aren't as spicy as those I'm used to. The chilies grown in New Mexico are spicy, something to do with the dry climate ,according to the Vore. Regardless of the actual heat of the chili, I always loved them smoked. Well if I'm going to be accurate, grilled.

It's really easy if you have a grill. The Vore prefers grilling with a hardwood charcoal, it burns hotter and longer than the standard stuff, plus it adds the flavor you would get from a traditional smoking method with out the extra time. Just cook the chilies until the skin is charred. Put in a Ziplock bag to cool, this makes the skins easier to remove. When the chilies are cool enough to handle rub, or pull, the skin off. You now have chilies that are ready for any application you would like.

If you don't have a grill, or the time to grill. Put the chilies on a sheet pan in the oven for 5 min per side. The oven should be set to broil and the rack will need to be at it highest level. The skin will start to blister and turn black. It will look different from the char you get on the grill, the taste will be a little different too, not as smoky, be still delicious.

Later this week I'll be making Vegan Chili Rellanos. I'll probably also add them into my Vegan Corn Casserole. I think chilies make the world go round, so they tend to pop up everywhere in my cooking!

Note: (7/28/09) Chilies contain a chemical called capsaicin; it's what causes the heat. Different chilies contain different amounts of capsaicin; they are measured on the Scoville Scale. The bell pepper is a 0 on the Scoville scale, but a habenaros is near the top (just below police grade pepper spray.) Whatever the amount of capsaicin, if you are working with chilies you will want to wear latex gloves when you are working with them. The only way to effectively get rid of the capsaicin if you get it on your skin is by soaking in milk. Milk alternatives do not contain the ingredient that causes the chemical bond to break up so you'll need to use real dairy milk. So just wear gloves, especially if you're using chilies with a large amount of capsasin like habenaros.

Here goes...

I'm a vegan, most of the time, my husband is not. Trying to cook for two very different diets can be a struggle. I know there have to be more families like our out there, so I thought I'd volunteer as the public Guinea pig! I'll include pictures when I can remember them, though they might not be very good. I only have a camera phone right now. Tonight's dinner is the (belated) birthday dinner the Vore begged for. Bar-B-Que! Well really it's grilled hamburgers, grilled corn on the cob and baked beans. We went to the local park and used their grill, it's been really cool this week. Vore forgot the camera and the charcoal. I was hungry so I wasn't to worried about the missing camera, the charcoal was a different story! The only picture I have is of the grill we used, taken by my camera phone! It does little justice to the beauty of the park. The Vore is picker than any toddler I've met (though truth be told I haven't met many), he wants baked beans out of the can, no "funny" flavors. Luckily he's rather health conscious so he always wants the vegetarian baked beans since they're fat free. The local farmers market is pretty good, and sweet corn abounds! The meat we buy Vore is ground turkey from Phil's Farm (http://www.philsfarm.com/), his animals are hormone free, antibiotic free, treated humanely and the chickens and turkeys really are free range. If Vore's gonna get meat, it's meat I approve! Dinner for me, grilled portabella. There really isn't anything else out there that works well on the grill and subs for a good juicy burger, so many of the meat subs are dry and grainy. The main formula of my favorite marinade is below. Use it as is, or use what ever herbs and spices you like. I've added a little cinnamon before with good results. GRILLED PORTABELLA Large Portabella Mushrooms (s) Buns, 1 per mushroom Oil, I prefer canola, 2T per Mushroom salt, to taste pepper, to taste cumin, 1/4 t per mushroom ground chipotle pepper, 1/4t per mushroom (I always add more chipotle, it all depends on your spice tolerance) fresh minced garlic, 1 clove per mushroom In a small mixing bowl add oil, garlic, chipotle, salt and pepper. Remove the stems and veins from the mushrooms. Rub generously with the oil mixture and let sit for 20 min or so. I usually do this as Vore is getting the fire started. Depending on your grill and charcoal, the mushrooms will be perfect after about 15 min on each side. Remove from grill and enjoy with your favorite hamburger topping. Tonight I had guacamole, pepper jack Veggie Slices, and Morningstar Farms bacon.