Hatch Chili Peppers (Merged Topic)

[qrn]

This is my favorite time of year! Hatch season. I hate the weather, but love the chiles it brings. I saw some very early in the season and picked up 10 or so pounds. I'll get more soon enough.

The first thing I make is a one year supply of chili verde. I don't use anything but hatch chiles for the base. No cheating with tomatillos here. Then I roast the rest and freeze them before skinning and seeding. The skin protects the chiles from freezer burn for year round access.

"Cheating?" I originally got my chile verde recipe from my Mexican neighbor and it and every other chile verde, salsa verde etc., recipe includes tomatillos. They make a pickled sauce using just chiles, but it is a flavoring condiment, not the dish itself.

I don't think that tomatillos "dilute" the flavor, they enhance it in its many variations throughout Mexico where the seasonings change, from region to region, but the base is always chiles (often poblano with other, hotter peppers), tomatillos and onions.

The local produce market has Hatch chiles and they showed up at three different vendors at the farmers' market yesterday.

As I said in a later post hyperbole! I love tomatillos, but for me, the perfect chili verde doesn't need them "authentic" or not. I would expect the the rendition of chili verde I make is more of a Southwestern variation than one found in a region of Mexico.

Care to share a link to your recipe? Maybe I can be converted.

I agree, verde is only chilis...We get em here and they usually have the thing they roast em with,and so we get em roasted as well(in Denver)Bud

[David Ross]

Our local Safeway currently has Hatch Chilies on special. I was surprised that a chain grocery store would have them because we can usually only get them at a local Mexican specialty market. They roast hundreds of pounds of them in a huge roaster out in the parking lot, (the specialty market, not Safeway). The aroma is wonderful.

When I got to the checkout stand at Safeway the checker didn't know what they were. I told her, but she couldn't find the bar code numbers in her computer. When the Manager came over he said "green chilies." The checker said, "I know, I know, but he (meaning me), said they were 'special." I got them for a ridiculously low price since Safeway thought I was buying regular green chilies.

I made a fresh salsa with the chilies I roasted, local tomatoes, red onion, lots of cilantro, cumin, olive oil and lime juice. Served on top of a wonderful beef tenderloin with sage-roasted potatoes.

[judiu]

Today I noticed with great delight that the big cases if hatch chiles are back. They will roast them for you in the big drum roasters outside for free with the purchase of a case (23.99 here).

After two hours cleaning and seeding, my hands are on fire (what a dope), but I've got about 15 one pound bags, and can't wait to start cooking with them.

(snip)

OK, so how do you cure the burn? I tried everything when I burned my hands with jalapenos the first time I used them, including some fairly gross methods, but nothing worked. My hands were so burnt they peeled! Now I use plastic gloves!

[pastameshugana]

Judiu, gloves are the best bet. I was sore for hours afterward! Except plastic gloves make it difficult to peel and seed the roasted chiles.

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- From iPhone using Tapatalk

[southwell]

Rinse your hands in white vinegar - sounds weird but it works - grew up in NM seeding chiles

[southwell]

This is my favorite time of year! Hatch season. I hate the weather, but love the chiles it brings. I saw some very early in the season and picked up 10 or so pounds. I'll get more soon enough.

The first thing I make is a one year supply of chili verde. I don't use anything but hatch chiles for the base. No cheating with tomatillos here. Then I roast the rest and freeze them before skinning and seeding. The skin protects the chiles from freezer burn for year round access.

"Cheating?" I originally got my chile verde recipe from my Mexican neighbor and it and every other chile verde, salsa verde etc., recipe includes tomatillos. They make a pickled sauce using just chiles, but it is a flavoring condiment, not the dish itself.

I don't think that tomatillos "dilute" the flavor, they enhance it in its many variations throughout Mexico where the seasonings change, from region to region, but the base is always chiles (often poblano with other, hotter peppers), tomatillos and onions.

The local produce market has Hatch chiles and they showed up at three different vendors at the farmers' market yesterday.

As I said in a later post hyperbole! I love tomatillos, but for me, the perfect chili verde doesn't need them "authentic" or not. I would expect the the rendition of chili verde I make is more of a Southwestern variation than one found in a region of Mexico.

Care to share a link to your recipe? Maybe I can be converted.

I agree, verde is only chilis...We get em here and they usually have the thing they roast em with,and so we get em roasted as well(in Denver)Bud

Good distinction. In NM generally chile verde is nothing but hatch chile, meat and spices etc, but I think it can in include tomatillos in Mexico. In NM generally anything with tomatillos would be called salsa and not chile.

Edited August 26, 2011 by southwell (log)

[threestars]

I love Chile Rellenos! They're my favorite! Yum!

[Darienne]

Ended up in agony for more than 24 hours after working with Poblanos without gloves. I've worked sans gloves many times before with no reaction. Something was obviously different either about me or this batch of Poblanos.

If you get into trouble this way, Google 'hand pain from hot peppers', etc and you'll find a lot of information and different substances to put on your hands which work for some....AND NOT OTHERS. I'm glad that vinegar worked for Southwell, but it did little for me. Nor did milk, cheese, alcohol, etc, etc, and etc.

What helped was two stiff drinks, and a sleeping pill. And time, mostly just time.

ps. Oh, forgot to add: NEVER AGAIN WITHOUT GLOVES. What on earth do all those cooks do where there aren't gloves to use????

Edited August 26, 2011 by Darienne (log)

[judiu]

Darienne, even (excuse it, please) tinkle didn't work!

[budrichard]

20 #'s of Hatch Chile's arrived yesterday by way of UPS 2nd Day from Chile-Express.

There are many on-line vendors but this source is from a prominent farmer and although pricey, the Chile's arrived fresh and fast!

Roasted a bunch over a Weber yesterday. This was a 'hot' variety and smaller and thinner than a typical Pablano with not as much meat under the skin. Consequently, if the chile was roasted to a dark color, no meat left, one had to get the skin just stiff and then I scraped out the flesh. Very difficult to impossible to skin and keep the Chile whole.

Made Quesdilla's with corn tortilas, cheese and Hatch Chile's. These Chile's have a flavor a little like an Habanero and varied from medium hot to hot. Very tasty.

Now I have to get more lump charcoal and keep roasting and scraping and then freezing.

Quite a treat from the Pablanos we get here that have had the heat bred out of them entirely.-Dick

[Lisa Shock]

Haven't tried it, but, I am wondering if an oral anesthetic like Anbesol might work for the hand problem...

[Jaymes]

This is my favorite time of year! Hatch season. I hate the weather, but love the chiles it brings. I saw some very early in the season and picked up 10 or so pounds. I'll get more soon enough.

The first thing I make is a one year supply of chili verde. I don't use anything but hatch chiles for the base. No cheating with tomatillos here. Then I roast the rest and freeze them before skinning and seeding. The skin protects the chiles from freezer burn for year round access.

"Cheating?" I originally got my chile verde recipe from my Mexican neighbor and it and every other chile verde, salsa verde etc., recipe includes tomatillos. They make a pickled sauce using just chiles, but it is a flavoring condiment, not the dish itself.

I don't think that tomatillos "dilute" the flavor, they enhance it in its many variations throughout Mexico where the seasonings change, from region to region, but the base is always chiles (often poblano with other, hotter peppers), tomatillos and onions.

The local produce market has Hatch chiles and they showed up at three different vendors at the farmers' market yesterday.

To me, green chile sauce and green tomatillo sauce are two completely different things. Having lived in New Mexico for a number of years, their green chile (made with chiles) requires no tomatillos. But their chilaquile green sauce requires very little but.

I don't think it's an "either or" sort of thing.

And I'm down in Houston. The Hatch chiles are in the markets here, and I've got several pounds in the freezer. First dish we always make when Hatch season arrives, and one of our favorites any time of year, is Rajas con Cebolla en Crema. It's nothing but sliced green chiles and white onions in a cream sauce. The perfect side dish.

You can google it and get many recipes. We make a rather plain one. Skin and seed the roasted chiles, and slice them into strips about 1/2" wide and 2" long. You should wind up with about half a cup of chile slices. Take a white or yellow onion, and slice it into strips. Put the onion into a skillet or small saucepan and add a little butter or oil (not much, just enough to keep them from sticking), and saute onions until they are clear. Add rajas (chile strips) and saute a few minutes more. Add Mexican crema or sour cream to taste - about half a cup. Simmer a few minutes more. Then add salt and/or pepper to taste.

This is very much a dish I've always made just by the look of it, and have no exact measurements. But there are many, many recipes online. You can add cheese or potatoes or what have you, but we prefer it plain.

[Pierogi]

HEADS UP ! for all the Hatch-heads in Southern California. Was in my local Bristol Farms today, and they have....

Fresh Hatch chiles (both hot and mild) for less than $2.00 a pound.

Roasted Hatch chiles (both hot and mild) in vaccum-sealed, freezer ready bags for $6.99 a pound (I got one of each....)

Roasted Hatch chiles in small (6-8 oz.) deli containers for $7.99 a pound.

You can also place orders for a case of roasted chiles to be delivered to you local Bristol Farms for pick-up. I believe the weight was 23 or so pounds for around $35.00.

Don't know if all the local Bristols have this, or how long it will last, but they had a good supply of the packaged, pre-roasted ones, as well as the fresh, at mine, and still had the order slips out for the case.

Here's a link. Apparently the on-site roasting is over, but they're still available in-store, or for pick-up.

Edited September 19, 2011 by Pierogi (log)

[budrichard]

Finally settled on a technique for roasting Hatch chile's.

I used my convection oven at about 450F, turning at most once until the skins become crackly. Roasting until the skins are black loses the flesh. worked quite well, was controllable and now the 20# are in the freezer.

but it is time consuming to de-seed and strip the flesh from the skins!-Dick

[FrogPrincesse]

Don't know if all the local Bristols have this, or how long it will last, but they had a good supply of the packaged, pre-roasted ones, as well as the fresh, at mine, and still had the order slips out for the case.

Here's a link. Apparently the on-site roasting is over, but they're still available in-store, or for pick-up.

My local Bristol Farms has them too, and so does Whole Foods (the fresh ones).

[Marya D.]

About 10 days ago, At the Kroger in Columbus Ohio, they were selling them in the parking lot, raw or roasted, for $1.00/lb. I didn't know what the word "Hatch" meant, but I recognized the fact that they were green New Mexican Chilis, and I thought "Hmmmm, maybe those are the ones."

I bought a pound roasted while the person in line in front of me bought 50 pounds. This, I thought, was unbelievably obnoxious. There were people waiting while they tied up the whole operation. But clearly, from what I've read here, this is customary behavior.

I happened to be back in that store the day before yesterday and they still had a few uncooked, so I bought another pound. I'd planned to roast them over a fire, but that does not seem to be orthodox, so I guess I'll do them in the oven. Then I'll freeze them, so come February, when it is as cold as Siberia here, I can make another pot of that green chili that blew my mind last week.

[Darienne]

.

ps. NEVER AGAIN WITHOUT GLOVES. What on earth do all those cooks do where there aren't gloves to use????

Terrific pain the last time I worked with Poblanos without gloves. Hours of agony. A first for Poblanos.

No one answered my ps question. I tried googling it in a dozen different ways and couldn't make Google answer my question. I want to know. They can't have latex gloves in deepest inner Mexico. And they certainly didn't have them before quite recently when they do have them.

How did they survive the procedure. Please.

[Pierogi]

One of the local yuppified markets (Sprouts for those of you in the Southwest) had Hatch chiles for sale last weekend when I dashed in to use a coupon. Both the roasted and fresh (!), which I've never seen locally. Of course, I had to buy some of both. I have tons of ideas on how to use the roasted ones (including a frittata tonight with fresh corn, fresh zucchini, garlic chives, jack & Cheddar cheese and some of the Hatches---good stuff). But the fresh ones have me at a bit of a loss.

Must Hatch chiles be roasted before use? What is the taste like unroasted, and does anyone have any T&T ideas for using them fresh? Since I still have a stash of the roasted guys, I'd like to try to use the fresh ones as is. To me, they look very much like poblanos/Anaheims, but taste very different.

I was thinking about some sort of green chile/pork thing to stuff soft tacos. I have some boneless loin pork chops, and had the idea to thinly slice them, saute them with some onion and the fresh Hatches, then mix in some of the roasted ones, and maybe a tomato or two, and cook it down. But any alternatives are more than welcome.

Edited September 7, 2012 by Pierogi (log)

[Lisa Shock]

The fresh can be eaten raw, think of them like halfway between a bell pepper and a jalapeno. When I lived in Santa Fe, I saw people put them raw in a lot of things. They can be good, seeded and sliced, in salads. (I like them in gingery cumber salads with sesame oil, rice vinegar and soy sauce.) Seeded and diced they are great in guacamole or salsa. A lot of people just chop them and toss them on top of foods as a finishing touch.The skin is only an issue when the peppers are cooked, then, it's like plastic.

If it were a little later in the year, I'd suggest adding the fresh ones to raw cranberry orange relish.

[Mjx]

Don't miss the discussion here, which includes/mentions several recipes I'd love to try (although I have to make do with alternatives, since I don't think hatch chilies are to be found anywhere in DK).

[DocDougherty]

Get out your handy blow torch (the TurboTorch if you have one), chill some fresh Hatch chile, in a cast iron frying pan (just to protect your kitchen) char the skins . Burn the waxy outer layer until it is fully charred (when you put the flame back on a spot that is fully charred the surface will instantly glow red). Toss the torched chile into a bowl of water and submerge them for a minute or two. Use your hands or a tooth brush to remove the char and reveal the crisp green flesh (you first refrigerated them so that they are still crisp after being charred). Slit open the side and remove the membrane and seeds, stuff it with something good, bake it, microwave it, or batter and deep fry. Or, put the stuffed pepper on an oiled cookie sheet, top it with beaten egg whites and bake until brown like a souffle. Serve with a good red sauce or molé.

For a video of the process (but using a bell pepper) see:

Edited September 8, 2012 by DocDougherty (log)

[rancho_gordo]

I am going to have to duck to dodge all the chile membranes that will be thrown at me, but I do ask this sincerely. What is the big deal? I compare them to an Anaheim and I see what's nice about them but I think your average poblano chile is so much more delicious and rich. Just the right amount of flesh and once in a while a little heat. What's no to love? Hatch chiles are fine but they strike me as bland.

[janeer]

I am going to have to duck to dodge all the chile membranes that will be thrown at me, but I do ask this sincerely. What is the big deal? I compare them to an Anaheim and I see what's nice about them but I think your average poblano chile is so much more delicious and rich. Just the right amount of flesh and once in a while a little heat. What's no to love? Hatch chiles are fine but they strike me as bland.

Totally agree--even wrote a blog post about it. Still trying to figure out, now that I live in a place where people get excited about Hatch chiles, what all the fuss is all about. Bought a bunch again recently as they are in season and dirt cheap but: Give me poblanos any day of the week.

[Darienne]

Followed Mjx's suggestion to the earlier topic and found Jaymes' Stacked Green Chile Enchiladas. Will actually try them next. Thanks, as always, Jaymes.

[slo_ted]

I like 'em roasted, and I also like 'em raw right out of the bag. The batch I have now is pretty hot--approximately jalopeno hot. I love to eat one raw as a side to whatever else is on the menu.