Hatch Chiles are all the rage! Seriously, you can find a delicious way to eat them, for breakfast, lunch or dinner – and, if you haven’t tried them, you simply must experience them while you can. The season for these unique tasting chiles named from the original growing area in Hatch, New Mexico is short – beginning about mid August until mid September – which is NOW! The best thing to do is buy a case – I’m not kidding, chile heads out here in the west buy them by the case and grill and/or roast and freeze them to have a supply of Hatch Chiles throughout the year.
For breakfast, my family loves the Hatch Chile Candied Bacon Pancakes that I created on a particularly creative morning 🙂 Grilled Pineapple and Hatch Chile Salsa makes a great snack, light lunch or delicious accompaniment to any grilled meat or fish.
For a quick, weeknight dinner – try these Chicken Enchiladas with Hatch Chile Sauce. Corn pudding fans will delight in the simple Corn Pudding with Hatch Chiles that is perfect for brunch or a tantalizing side dish – I served it with grilled lamb and guests were raving!
Pardon my Hatch Chile dreaming, let’s get back to the roastings!
Certain markets such as Bristol Farms, Gelson’s and Sprouts in California, Glazier’s in Arizona, Dillions in Kansas and Wegman’s and Heinan’s in Maryland and Virginia hold roastings on Saturday where you can have a case roasted while you shop, or you can buy a case and return later to pick it up if you have an action-packed day planned. But stick around if you can – you’ll be surprised at the community spirit and recipe swapping that goes on at these roastings. Below are roasting dates for Arizona and California. Please check dates and locations for roastings in your area on Melissa’s website.
Melissa’s Hatch Chiles are hand-selected for excellent quality. Choose bright green, glossy peppers that are firm with medium to thick flesh. Avoid soft spots. Refrigerate, unwashed in a plastic bag for up to 5 days.
Melissa’s Produce invited a group of food writers and industry folks to a special Hatch Chile luncheon to launch their latest cookbook, Melissa’s Hatch Chile Cookbook. Authors Chef Ida Rodriguez Hatch and Melissa’s c0-owner Sharon Hernandez shared how their mutual love of Hatch chiles created an immediate bond between them and led to their collaboration on Melissa’s Hatch Chile Cookbook. Rodriguez declared that everyone should use hatch chiles and the created Melissa’s Hatch Chile Cookbook to show people that hatch chiles can be used as an ingredient in all sorts of cuisines: good for Italian cooking, Asian cooking, Mexican cooking, Southwestern any type of cuisine.
Some of my favorites from the luncheon were the Baby Heirloom Tomato and Grilled Corn Salad (which I made the other night), Dutch Yellow Potatoes with Roasted Hatch Chile Vinaigrette, Hatch Chile Cornbread, Honey Mustard Pretzel & Nut Crunch (so making this for football watching), Hatch Chile Salsa Fresca, and Hatch Chile Chocolate Chip Cookies – even chocolate chip cookies are better with a little bit of heat. But the real kicker for me was the Hatch Chile Ice Cubes – yep, ice cubes, soooo good in Bloody Mary’s!
With over 150 classic and unique Hatch Chile recipes, this hard cover book ($19.95) is bound to be a favorite. Every book ordered through Melissa’s is signed by the authors and ground shipping is complimentary with purchase (delivery to the continental U.S. only – may take up to 7 days after order is confirmed). If you’re in the vicinity of Newport Beach, CA this weekend, Chef Ida will be at the Bristol Farms, Newport Beach roasting this Saturday, August 31st to sign books and share the many virtues of the Hatch Chile with you personally 🙂
Baby Heirloom Tomato and Grilled Corn Salad
From Melissa’s Hatch Chile Cookbook | makes 8 servings
4 ears corn, husks and silk removed
2 (1-pound packages) Melissa’s Baby Heirloom Tomatoes, halved
3 cloves garlic
2 Hatch Chiles, roasted, peeled, stemmed, seeded, and diced
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
Salt and black pepper
Directions:
Preheat a grill to high.
Grill the corn until lightly charred. Let cool. Cut the kernels from the cobs. In a large bowl, combine the corn kernels with the tomatoes. Add the garlic, chiles, basil, oil, and vinegar. Toss, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.
Note: To cut the basil into ribbons, stack the leaves, roll them up tightly, and slice crosswise with a very sharp knife.
2013 Hatch Chile Roasting Dates and Locations in AZ/CA:
ARIZONA
Friday, September 6, 2013
Saurday, September 7, 2013
Fry’s 612
4707 E. Shea Blvd.
Phoenix, AZ 85028
8:00 am to 4:00 pm
480-367-3940
CALIFORNIA
Saturday Aug. 24, 2013
Bristol Farms South Pasadena
606 Fair Oaks Ave.
South Pasadena, CA 91030
8:00 am – 2:00 pm
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Bristol Farms Santa Monica
3105 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90403
8:00 am – 2:00 pm
10:00 am – 12:00 pm *Live Broadcast with Chef Jet Tila
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm Book Signing
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Bristol Farms Newport Beach
810 Avocado Ave.
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 760-6514
8:00 am – 2:00 pm Roasting
10:00 am – 2:00 pm Book Signing
Saturday September 7, 2013
Bristol Farms La Jolla
8510 Genesee Ave.
La Jolla, CA 92122
(858) 558-4180
8:00 am – 2:00 pm
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Gelson’s Newport Beach
1660 San Miguel Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660
949-644-8660
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Gelson’s Sherman Oaks
4520 Van Nuys Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
818-377-4140
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Gelson’s Silver Lake
2725 Hyperion Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90027
323-660-0387
5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Gelson’s Calabasas
22277 Mulholland Hwy.
Calabasas, CA 91302
818-906-6228
*roast is based on availability
9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Zapien’s Salsa Grill Pico Rivera
6704 Rosemead Blvd.
Pico Rivera, CA
562-942-7072
8:00 am to 2:00 pm
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Sprouts Chula Vista
690 3rd Ave
Chula Vista
(877) 732-2848
10:00 am to 4:00 pm Roasting
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Sprouts Chula Vista
878 Eastlake Pkwy
Chula Vista
(619) 421-2099
9:00 am to 3:00 pm Roasting
Cathy Pollak ~ Noble Pig
Last night I roasted hatch chilis for our burgers…so amazing and full of heat and flavor!
Ally's Kitchen
OMG, I can smell ’em and taste ’em!! And those pancakes!! Freakin’ awesome, Priscilla!!
Nancy@acommunaltable
Love this round up of Hatch Chile recipes… definitely making that salsa and have got to try the pancakes!