Grilled green chili stew

After seven enchanting years in New Mexico, I became part native — especially my stomach. Late summer was my favorite time, mostly because of a certain aroma that wafted up and down the Rio Grande Valley. The widespread roasting of green chili peppers filled the air with a magical pungency.

Green chilis have transformational powers. They can turn a cheeseburger into a green chili cheeseburger or scrambled eggs into green chili scrambled eggs. This simple modification results in a quantum leap in flavor.

And then there’s green chili stew, not to be confused with “chili,” the midwestern concoction resembling a sloppy Joe. A New Mexico green chili stew is brothy and nuanced, like the evening breeze after a monsoon rain.

While green chili peppers — and the delicious foods they elevate — are central to New Mexico’s identity, the state hardly has a monopoly on growing, roasting and preparing them. Nothing about the local soil, rain or anything else makes New Mexico’s green chilis intrinsically better than those grown in New Jersey.

The key difference is that a farmer will get a better yield in Hatch, New Mexico, than in Duluth, Minnesota. But the most important thing — more important than where they were grown or what variety they are — is simply that the peppers are harvested at the proper time. Otherwise, the flavor will be off.

Green chilis are, by definition, unripe. Left to their own devices, every  pepper on Earth will eventually turn red. The trick is to harvest the peppers just before they start to change color. Since they’re all green until that point, the only way to tell if they’re ready to harvest is by tasting them. Alas, most farmers outside of New Mexico don’t seem to know what a green chili tastes like.

If it has splotches of yellow or red, that’s fine. In fact, they have a word in New Mexico for when you mix red and green chilis together: “Christmas.”

When I put green chilis on the grill, it’s for one of three reasons. First, roasted green chilis freeze really well — a lot better than fresh peppers. Second, if there’s also meat on the grill, green chilis are like fine wine when it comes to bringing out meaty flavors.

The final reason to grill green chilis is to make a pot of green chili stew. When I do that, I also put the other ingredients on the grill, including tomatoes, potatoes, onions, corn and meat.