From "Pork Roll" to "Poblanos"...

Growing up in NJ, there was truly nothing better on a Saturday morning than taking a ride to the local bagel shop for a pork roll, egg, and cheese on a bagel with salt, pepper, and ketchup.  When I say "nothing better" I really mean that.  The PE&C cures a number of ailments, but it is most used as a hangover remedy and I can honestly say that I have never experienced a better "morning after" cure.  I assume the bagel must absorb those churning stomach acids... and the grease from the pork roll has a lovely "coating" effect, something like a pig-based version of Pepto Bismol.  It is, in a word, heaven. (Note that I'm a vegetarian now, so I've abandoned pork roll as a hangover cure)

Almost six years ago, after learning that my employment was going to be transferred to Maryland, I decided I would look for a new job in a warmer part of the country.  It had been a bad winter that year and I was just so tired of scraping the ice off my car in the morning and wondering if I would get to work without hitting a patch of black ice.  So, I looked for work in two states - Florida and Arizona.

I really hoped that I would land a spot in Florida.  I had spent quite a bit of time there at conferences for work (and just generally goofing off as well) and I really loved it.  The sun... the beach... great food... I had a yearning for Fort Lauderdale that wouldn't quit.  I imagined I would spend my days at the beach and my nights at the Elbo Room and it would be bliss.  The Florida job offers never came, though.  After months of looking, and the inevitable sale of my house in NJ, I needed to find a job SOMEWHERE fast.

At the 11th hour I received a job offer in Arizona.  I immediately accepted, having very little knowledge of what I would be doing or where I would be living.  I packed up my belongings, drove cross country, and settled in to my new home.

There were a lot of adjustments to make with this move, not the least of which was the tremendous difference in the food.  There is NO bagel shop within a reasonable distance from my home, most people have no idea what pork roll is, and getting "real" East-coast pizza is not in the realm of the possible.

I've slowly started to become accustomed to the local food, but it wasn't easy.  I had never even had "real" Mexican food for example.  The only thing close I had ever eaten was the occasional taco my mother would make from the "Old El Paso" taco kit.  Being pretty "food adventurous", though, it wasn't long before I was trying things like Chile Rellenos and tacos that had little resemblance to what I grew up eating.

While I wouldn't consider myself an expert on Mexican or Southwest fare, I've come a long way.  Yesterday, I decided that I was going to make a Poblano Corn Chowder for dinner.  I stopped at the local grocery store to pick up the ingredients I needed... 4 ears of corn, milk, vegetable broth, and Poblano peppers.  I walked frantically up and down the produce aisle looking for where the chile peppers were (I didn't go to my "regular" grocery store so I was a bit lost).  Eventually I found them, but grew concerned when the sign said "Pasilla" peppers, and not Poblano.  I stared at the peppers for a while, doubting my pepper knowledge.  These looked like Poblanos... and I didn't have a damn clue what a Pasilla was.  I decided to go out on a limb and take the plunge, trusting that I knew what a Poblano was and these were them.

When I got to the register, the cashier looked at me and said "What's this?"  I responded confidently "THAT is a Poblano."  She looked it up in her little list of produce codes and eventually found what she was looking for.  Then, on the register's display I see "Pasilla."  DAMMIT.  I guess I'm not as smart as I think I am.  I brought my groceries home and made my chowder (recipe here) and it was absolutely amazing. NOTE:  I used three Tbsp of butter rather than two, and let the chowder simmer about a half hour before serving.

This morning, I did an internet search on Pasillas and Poblanos.  Well it turns out that Pasillas are actually a dried chilaca (whatever the hell THAT is).  From the wikipedia entry for Pasilla:  "A true pasilla is the dried form of the long and narrow chilaca pepper.^[2] However, in the United States producers and grocers often incorrectly use 'pasilla' to describe the poblano, a different, wider variety of pepper whose dried form is called an ancho." 

So, not only did I make one of the most kick-ass pots of soup last night, but I also proved to myself that perhaps I AM in fact a little smarter than I give myself credit for when it comes to the local fare of my new home state.  I still have a lot to learn, but for now, I'm happy with my small Poblano victory.