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HOW TO ROAST CHILES

Preheat the broiler or fire up the grill. Wash and dry the chiles. If broiling, place the chiles in a single layer on a baking sheet or comal. If grilling, you can put larger chiles directly on the grate, as close as possible to the heating element. Broil or grill until the skins are charred and blistered, about 10 minutes. Turn the chiles over with tongs and char the other side.

Remove the chiles from the heat and place them in a large heat-safe bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or foil and let steam for 15 minutes. Peel the skins off the chiles if desired, or leave them on for a more charred taste.

Make Your Own Chile Powder

YIELDS VARY

Some varieties of chiles can be expensive and/or hard to find, so don’t let a treasure trove of chiles go to waste. Amanda Horton, owner of Desert Provisions, showed me how easy it is to dry an abundance of fresh chiles and mill them into chile powder. Use a food dehydrator or the sun to thoroughly dry the chiles, then mill them into a fine powder using a coffee grinder reserved specifically for chile grinding.

Fresh chiles of your choiceWash chiles and cut them into ¹⁄4-inch slices. (Small chiles like chiltepin can be left whole.) Layer them in a food dehydrator. Set it to low. It will take about 12 hours for the chiles to dry thoroughly.

Put the dried chiles in a clean coffee grinder and blend to a fine powder. Store in an airtight container for up to six months.

Sonoran-Style Staples

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