If you’ve never tried a Hatch chile and live anywhere near Harmon’s Grocery stores located throughout Utah… you’re in for a treat! You can stand and watch your chiles roast right before your eyes. And the aroma… oh, the aroma is heavenly! These are chiles that are straight from the fields of the world chile epicenter, Hatch, New Mexico. We were first introduced to Hatch chiles on a recent trip to Santa Fe. We love picante, so we ordered a bushel of the medium heat for $26.99… so worth it! If you’re really daring, you can order the Sandia, or hot (which will result in a fiery dragon’s tongue!) chiles. When we pick up our next batch, we’re going for the mild. Even if you don’t plan on buying these, you can still savor this piquant cultural experience!
From September 26-30, 2012, practically every street corner in Santa Fe will be churning these roasters for the Wine and Chile Festival. But if you can’t make it to Santa Fe, a driver delivers these chiles fresh from Hatch, New Mexico daily to Harmon’s…and they are so flavorful!
You can choose between hot, medium or mild – and they will roast them while you wait (roasting takes about four minutes). The last dates for Harmon’s purchase will be Friday, September 7 from 4 to 8pm and Saturday, September 8, 2012 from 10am to 6pm.
Once you purchase these chiles, they will be roasted and placed in two heavy duty plastic bags. You just need to open the bags and let them “sweat”, then separate them into quart-size freezer bags. It is very important to remove the outer skin; it is inedible. Freezing the chiles is the best method. Once frozen, thaw them, run them under tap water and the peel will slip right off! Be sure to remove the seeds, as they can substantially affect the chiles’ heat.
We’ve enjoyed these chiles in many of our recipes this summer. One easy recipe we found while watching Ree Drummond’s Food Network show, The Pioneer Woman was Lazy Chile Rellenos. It was delicious. We will be posting one of our favorite grilled recipes using these chiles in the next few weeks. So stay tuned!
Have you ever had Hatch chiles? What’s your favorite spicy chile recipe?
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