It was a bittersweet weekend around our household.  We lost a dear furry friend, but also spent days surrounded by loving friends and family – much of that time was spent cooking and eating.

Food is comfort.  Food is love.  And, preparing food is therapy.

So I got my hands dirty cleaning sweated Hatch chiles at the dinner table on Labor Day.

Roasting and Cleaning Chile Peppers

Mild Hatch green chilies are in season in mid-August to early September.

Dry-roasting chiles over a fire lets you blacken and remove the skin easily, and gives the chiles a delicious smoky flavor.

Start by preheating your grill to medium high heat. While it’s heating up, clean your chiles and dry them completely. (Note: if you don’t have a grill, simply preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and roast them on a baking sheet.)

When the chiles are evenly blackened, remove them from the grill.

Immediately place the chiles in a plastic bag. This will make the still-hot chiles sweat, and the skin will be easier to remove.

When the bag has condensation and the chiles have cooled, they are ready to be peeled.

Using gloved fingers and/or a butter knife, peel and scrape away the skin.

Slice each chile down the center to open them up. Pull off the stem and set aside. Gently scrape all the seeds out of the center. Set the cleaned chiles to the side.

Peeled and cleaned chiles on one side; skins, seeds, and stems on the other.

If you roast a lot of chiles, you may want to can them whole or freeze them. I prefer to dice them (the way I use them in recipes typically) and freeze them.

To freeze, place 1/2 to 1 cup – canned chiles from the store typically come in 4 and 8 ounce packs – in a freezer bag, squeeze out excess air, and seal. Freeze them until you need them.

Not sure what to do with green chiles? Here are some ideas:

• Add the chiles to a white chicken chile with bacon
• Use the hatch chiles in pork chile verde
• Season guacamole with the chiles for a smoky, mildly spicy flavor
• Blend them with tomatillos to make salsa verde
• Add them to an omelet
• Make a batch of Green Chile Garlic Burgers