Chile Harvest 2018

Freezing weather is in the forecast, time to harvest the Chiles.  I have massive Chile plants this year.  I grew a lot of Capsicum Chinense plants, and they get huge.  They are also prolific, and make lots of Chile Pods.

It actually caused a problem in the garden because the plants got so large that they were casting a shadow on other plants which couldn't grow correctly because they weren't getting enough light.  Two in particular were the problem the Poblanos, and the Bhut Jolokias.  The Poblano is a really big plant, and they overshadowed the Cherry Pepper plants.  I did get some Cherry Peppers, but the plants were light starved, and didn't grow like they should have.

The plants that are abnormally prolific are the really hot Chiles like the Bhut Jolokias, and the Carolina Reapers.I only planted two Bhut Jolokias, and I have a whole pan full of Chiles.

I planted a lot more Carolina Reaper plants, but some of them were light starved at the back of the garden, and didn't produce much.  The four plants at the south end of the garden produced plenty.

I also planted some Orange Habaneros, and Red Savina Habaneros (Caribbean Red Hots).  One of these plants produced Chiles that look different, and after spending a little time trying to identify them I think they are Trinidad Morunga Scorpion Chiles, on the right.

Then the Poblanos are also prolific.  They were also the largest Chile plants in the garden this year.  They have relatively large fruits so they were all bent over at harvest time.  They grew three feet past the top of the the support cages.  They are easily the Largest Chile Plants I have grown.

I also grew Thai Dragon Chiles this year.  They were one of the last things I planted, and got planted at the back of the garden, so they were light starved, and generated a lot of Chiles anyway.  Along the trellis I planted Cherry Tomatoes, and they also did not do very well.  I did get a lot of little Tomatoes, but they never ripened, and were diminutive compared to what they were supposed to be.

Ultimate Chicken Soup

I do Chicken Soup a little different.  I've tried the traditional recipe with the boiled chicken, and I like it, but my culinary instincts drive me in a different direction.I want lots of noodles, and vegetables, with less broth.  I also want the crispy Chicken Skins.  So I roast the Chicken first, then make soup.

This time I started by roasting some Chicken thighs in a pan for around 50 minutes at 400 degrees.  I use my usual seasonings which are Tony Chachere's season salt, and black pepper.

The Chicken thighs can go rest in the corner while I work on the rest of the soup.  Roasting renders the fan out of the Chicken so it doesn't wind up in the soup.  But what this also does for you is the Fond.  We'll make the broth in the roasting pan to take advantage of the Fond, the most bestest part.

I've removed the fat from the roasting pan, and I I'm going to use canned Chicken broth to liberate the Fond from the roasting pan.  The Fond is fairly well stuck to the roasting pan, and we'll use a deglazing process to get it loose.  I put the pan on two burners on the stove to heat the whole roasting pan.

As the Chicken broth comes up to a boil I'll use a whisk to break up, and distribute the Fond into the Chicken broth.  Taste the broth, and season it as you see fit, keeping in mind that you'll have some concentration of the flavor as it cooks.  As the broth is simmering I'll start the vegetables.

This time I am using Mushrooms, Onion, Garlic, Cabbage, and Thai Chile.  I use Butter to saute the vegetables.  Don't forget a little Salt to soften the vegetables.

I have prepared some Egg Noodles which are waiting in a warm pot for the final assembly process.

Then I add the broth to the vegetables, and noodles, and the last thing to go in is the chopped roasted Chicken.  Typically I would give my Chicken soup a little Asian flair like Toasted Sesame Seed Oil, or Fish Sauce, but this time I left it regular Chicken Soup.

Notice that the crispy skins are in there also, possibly my favorite part.  The very last thing is a handful of chopped Cilantro.  Perfect for a cold Autumn Day...

Frito Pie

It's Autumn, harvest time, and Chili weather.  It was fairly cool today, and it's supposed to freeze tomorrow.  That makes me crave Chili, but also another Texas staple, Frito Pie.  I'm not even sure of its origin, only know that I have been eating Frito Pie for as long as I can remember.  The Chili I make is Carol Shelby's recipe from the International Chili Society.  Mine deviates in that I add chopped Onion, and Jalapeno.  I think I also added extra Red Chile flakes this time.  Take a handful of Fritos, and dump them into a bowl.  Spoon some Chili over them.  Then top them with cheeze, diced red Onion, and some Chile slices.  Texas comfort food...