Wednesday 14 September 2011

This week at Chaos HQ

We are surrounded by an abundance of warmth and food. I'd blag on about abundance more, but it's two months till Thanksgiving and the global economy continues to be in the toilet.

From Bedfordshire with love. 
We are currently munching on these green beauties courtesy or our favourite chili farm. And we are scheming up delicious plans for some lovely NoCal reds from Truffle.

All this, and we are still feasting on chilies sent by my lovely mama, who turns sixty this month.

I am roasting the Bedfordshire greens under the broiler. Skinned and bagged, they will live happily in the freezer for the next year, crucially getting Chaos HQ through the dark winter months via the trusty medium of enchiladas.

Doctors in Britain don't tend to prescribe capsaicin for Seasonal Affective Disorder, which I just find sad. So in the wacky homeopathic self remedy department, I've taken to blathering on about the heavenly qualities of chili at all times and to anyone who will listen. It's my own clumsy, gluttonous form of The Secret. Judging by this week's catch, my strategy has born fruit.

September sees fiestas in Santa Fe and a chili harvest in Hatch. Home is on my mind.

You can't easily get there from here. But the worrying black cloud of chili smoke wafting in my kitchen makes me feel closer to there. I can almost taste the fry bread and feel my hips magically balloon with each imaginary bite. And if I cock my head towards Camden, I can just about hear Zozobra groaning tiredly as a troupe of camp fire dancers yap at his toes for the umpteenth time.  

Of the twelve months to be there, this is the one. It is hard to beat calabacitas and yellow aspen leaves - covered in an early dusting of snow if you're lucky - under a harvest moon.

Happy birthday Mama.

16 comments:

  1. I never knew there was so much to chilis. Unfortunately, cutting chilis makes me retch, same for roasting them in a pan. Despite me liking them in my food.
    Happy birthday to your Mama!

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  2. Thanks lady! Retching definitely interferes wit the enjoyment of good food. But in the silver linings department, this gives you an excuse to have others cook it for you ;)

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  3. Umm, I need me some! Did I know your mom's B-day was in September? Happy Birthday to her.

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  4. Thanks SR, sending some green chili vibes your way :)

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  5. workinglondonmummy17 September 2011 at 21:57

    these look great. I do like the chargrilled chillies

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  6. Mmmm, chillis. I wish I knew how to do so many things with them! It does seem to be the season here and there are many to choose from. David tells me we have to grow them next year, he's sure the deer won't eat them...

    I'm going to have to try calabacitas :) x

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  7. Lindsey, calabacitas are AWESOME and super easy to make. Chili, likewise is pretty easy to grow as long as you live in a sunny-ish place, and can keep those pesky deer away :)

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  8. Thanks lady, I suspect you have some great grilled chili ideas in your arsenal!

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  9. Happy birthday to your Mama! I have always had a love affair with chilis. Since living in Denmark a country that doesn't do spicy, my need for hot chilis has grown much stronger too! Someone was telling me that they are actually addictive, and they can help you lose weight! I am not sure I could live without them now anyway! Lovely photograph too! Emma :)

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  10. Happy birthday to your mum. I want some of those chillis!

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  11. That is EXACTLY why I eat chilis, to lose, er...wieght...oops. Addictive for sure though:)

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  12. Thanks Tat! Sending you virtual chilies...

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  13. Mmmm...makes me homesick, and I'm home.

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  14. I just now found your blog and fell immediately on this post. Your talk of the comforting smell of roasting chiles really hits home. I'm live in NM and know if I ever left, that is one thing I would miss, along with the accessibility and taste of a good NM chile. If you really want to get homesick, you can check out my NM chile series that I'm running during the month of September. Hope you're enjoying those wonderful looking chiles!

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  15. I have that effect on people: they tend to feel sick when they read my stuff, wherever they are.

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  16. Thanks for stopping by MJ! Have just popped over to your lovely blog and am now suffering from serious case of chili delirium tremens (which may go some way in explaining my poorly-constructed sentences)...

    Will be following your Sept series, keep up the good work!

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