I love September–the mornings are cooler, the sky’s a deeper shade of blue, and fresh-roasted green chile stands are popping up on street corners all over town.

If you’ve never purchased or cooked with these seasonal beauties, an excellent place to learn about them is Denver Green Chili. The helpful website lists information on roasting, freezing, and cooking with the aromatic peppers (tip: wear gloves!), and provides a comprehensive breakdown of chile stands throughout the metro area.

I recently tried the site’s recipe for Old-Fashioned Colorado Green Chili and fell in love with the dish’s simple preparation as well as its comforting, warm flavors. I like some heat in my bowl, but not so much that it obscures the flavor, so I used medium-hot Hatch chiles. These are large and meaty—and the type most often used in chiles rellenos. The operators of local chile stands are happy to mix and match heat levels to your liking.

Fun: Celebrate and sample all things chile-related at the 2011 Denver Chili Fest, September 24.