Hatch Chiles

[ctchandler]

Jstaylor62,
What does freezing do to the texture? I haven't been happy with the peppers that I have frozen. Unfortunately, I gave my large (Oklahoma Joe style) smoker to my son, so the smoking with hickory is not an option right now.
Thanks,
C. T.

Buy them now while they are fresh and prep them for use later. They are great when frozen and used in sauces, salsas or chili. You can buy them roasted and then portion them out to freeze. I usually take a bunch and throw them into my smoker and hickory smoke them for a while.

[ctchandler]

Pete,
I think the link sums it up. If there is a difference between a "Hatch and an Anaheim chile", may it's the fact that the Hatch is an Anaheim grown in Hatch, NM. I have a great pasta dish that is even better (and it's an easy meal) because I substituted Anaheim chiles for bell peppers.
Thanks,
C. T.

Here is a good guide to heat using the Scoville Scale. The hatch is also called the Anaheim Pepper and is shown to be about half as hot as a jalapeno:

http://www.scottrobertsweb.com/scoville-scale.php#

[crowsfoot]

Hello everyone, Im new to this site,but since just returning from Tucson,Az. and stopping in Hatch and eating at the pepper pot, and buying chilis in town I feel at home here. But can someone till me where to look for the recipies I hear about on here.Just so you know chilis were $.59 a pound in Hatch.

[WilliamTell]

I recently sampled some roasted Hatch Chiles outside of Crest in one of the roasting displays they had setup. They had roasted Hatch Chiles wrapped in a flour tortilla with or without cheese for free. They were good and i wished i would've taken another sample.

But

The one i got was warmer (flavor wise) than i expected and i was caught a little off guard walking through the store with no water around and i love spicy food. But its by no means hot and i think the majority of people would find them very appealing to enjoy at home with a cool beverage. The thing that surprised me was that a few people were buying them by the produce box; i thought they were good and plan to purchase a few this weekend and roast them at home but by the box???

Obviously they have an extremely loyal following.

[Debzkidz]

I recently sampled some roasted Hatch Chiles outside of Crest in one of the roasting displays they had setup. They had roasted Hatch Chiles wrapped in a flour tortilla with or without cheese for free. They were good and i wished i would've taken another sample.

But

The one i got was warmer (flavor wise) than i expected and i was caught a little off guard walking through the store with no water around and i love spicy food. But its by no means hot and i think the majority of people would find them very appealing to enjoy at home with a cool beverage. The thing that surprised me was that a few people were buying them by the produce box; i thought they were good and plan to purchase a few this weekend and roast them at home but by the box???

Obviously they have an extremely loyal following.

Yes, I know lots of people in Texas that buy them by the box, roast the whole bunch, peel, chop and freeze. I really should because we do eat a lot of chile in our house. Once they are roasted and peeled, there's not a lot left. I roasted something like eight of them this past weekend, and by the time they were all done, it was not even enough to fill an 8 oz container.

[foodiefan]

CT. . .it's sort of like a chardonnay grape grown in Napa Valley vs Pauls Valley. . . it's all in the terroir. Trust me, you can taste the difference in an Anahiem and a Hatch green chile!

William Tell. . you can google Hatch Green Chile recipes. . .or go back to the link in post #111. . . that and either the Pink Adobe or Santa Fe Cooking School cook book should get you started.

Debz. . .yeah, it's really not worth it to do just a few. I usually do 20 lbs (a box) and pop them them in freezer in 8 - 10 " chile packs (which is about 1 1 2/ to 2 cups of chopped chile). Makes for a nice lazy afternoon with some good beer or a bottle of wine. . .roast. . sip. . . peel. . . sip. . .until you have them all done in nice little stacks in your freezer. . . then bring the cooler weather for that Green Chile Stew!!

[Prunepicker]

Hatch chills are available at
Sunflower market at NW 63
and N May for .88 cents lb.

[Larry OKC]

Prunepicker is corect, just got back from there and noticed on the side of the hatch box they came in, they come in 3 strengths...mild, med & hot. Looks like Sunflower sells the medium strength. These peppers looked huge! Are they normally that big (could easily make 2 chili reanos.?

[Dustin]

Just left there as well! Hatch chiles abound!

[soonerguru]

New Mexico.
They are mild, sweet, tasty and authentic.
They are the perfect addition to almost anything that hits the plate.
They are the only "all-purpose" chiles (that I am aware of) other than those "pequilla" chiles from Spain.

Perhaps the Food Trucks and the Casas de los Tapas y Tacos, Local will take a hint.
(Not to mention The Corporate Grocery Store Combines . . . Shoot, just today I couldn't find Old Bay Seasoning at the local, diverse, Buy For Less fer cryin' out loud. =)

They are not "mild," although some are grown that way. I've had many New Mexican peppers that were hotter than jalapenos, and they have a digestive afterburn if you know what I mean.

But they are freaking phenomenal foodwise. Piquant, vaguely sweet (subtle), punchy, earthy. Nice deep flavor and wonderful when smoked. The perfect accompaniment for the wonderful cuisine of New Mexico.

I love some New Mexican green chilies, but as my food palate has expanded, I've learned to love the New Mexican red chile even more (it comes from the same pepper).

If you have any confusion, my suggestion would be to take I-40 West and I-25 North about 8 hours to Santa Fe and eat at The Shed or Maria's (with many cervezas and margaritas) for like four straight nights, and have breakfast daily at Pasquale's. After that, you'll certainly understand the mania that people feel for this pepper every August / September.

[soonerguru]

Here is a good guide to heat using the Scoville Scale. The hatch is also called the Anaheim Pepper and is shown to be about half as hot as a jalapeno:

http://www.scottrobertsweb.com/scoville-scale.php#

They have the same bloodlines but the average Anaheim isn't totally the same as a true New Mexican green. I don't know if it's the water, altitude, soil, sun or whatever, but the ones from New Mexico are simply the best.

[ksearls]

Sooner, you know what you are talking about. I love green but have switched to red when I head west. Also like to mix it up Christmas style when we go to Santa Fe. I eat chiles every meal for days. Dont forget Burt's Burger Bowl and Bobcat Bite for the awesomeness that is this green chile cheeseburger!

Lots of great green chile stuff at Sunflower! Big bags of frozen roasted and chopped that look good, plus the fresh right now. Also some good looking green tamales from SF. They had fresh green breakfast burritos in the sandwich case. Check it out!

[jstaylor62]

Jstaylor62,
What does freezing do to the texture? I haven't been happy with the peppers that I have frozen. Unfortunately, I gave my large (Oklahoma Joe style) smoker to my son, so the smoking with hickory is not an option right now.
Thanks,
C. T.

The texture from frozen is not much different than in a can. You are just tossing them into a chili or salsa, so the texture is not really important.

[Martin]

seems like i see one of these threads every year... is the flavor of these chiles all that unique/special from what you typically get in the supermarket? not trying to hate, just trying to understand the hubbub! -M

[ctchandler]

Jstaylor62,
I don't use peppers from a can (or jar). I have frozen a few peppers and the texture wasn't suitable for a linguine recipe that I have.
C. T.

The texture from frozen is not much different than in a can. You are just tossing them into a chili or salsa, so the texture is not really important.

[ctchandler]

mmm
I'm like you. It's a huge deal in Hatch, NM and if it's that good, I want to get in on it. That's why I started this thread. And I have learned a good bit, but until I try them in something, I won't know.
C. T.

seems like i see one of these threads every year... is the flavor of these chiles all that unique/special from what you typically get in the supermarket? not trying to hate, just trying to understand the hubbub! -M

[foodiefan]

. . . . And I have learned a good bit, but until I try them in something, I won't know.C. T.

On the mark CT!! Hope you enjoy!

[Prunepicker]

I love green but have switched to red when I head west. Also like to
mix it up Christmas style when we go to Santa Fe.

Here's an amen! I'll have lots of red and green on the side. New
Mexico Mex style is my favorite Mexican food. I'll eat Chile Rellanos
virtually every meal, like a side. The Pantry is my fave.

Are Hatch peppers the ones used for Chile Rellanos? Can't stand
Poblano, too much like the bell pepper which I believe is akin to
hemlock.

[ctchandler]

Prunepicker,
I like New Mexico style for a change although it isn't necessarily my favorite. For those that don't know, Christmas style is when they ask if you want red or green sauce, you reply Christmas, Christmas tree, or Christmas style to let them know you want a mixture of both. As for your comment on poblano and bell peppers, there is no comparison. The bell pepper is a sweet pepper. It certainly has no heat and poblano does. I believe (but am totally ready to be corrected) that most chiles relleno are made with poblano peppers. I just did a quick check and poblano peppers are in fact used for chiles relleno. I know that I can eat poblanos raw and I can't stand the taste of bell peppers. We all have our own tastes and you are not a fan of poblanos.
C. T.

Here's an amen! I'll have lots of red and green on the side. New
Mexico Mex style is my favorite Mexican food. I'll eat Chile Rellanos
virtually every meal, like a side. The Pantry is my fave.

Are Hatch peppers the ones used for Chile Rellanos? Can't stand
Poblano, too much like the bell pepper which I believe is akin to
hemlock.

[soonerguru]

seems like i see one of these threads every year... is the flavor of these chiles all that unique/special from what you typically get in the supermarket? not trying to hate, just trying to understand the hubbub! -M

Hater. Yes, they're different.

[Prunepicker]

The bell pepper is a sweet pepper. It certainly has no heat and
poblano does. I believe (but am totally ready to be corrected) that
most chiles relleno are made with poblano peppers.

I was meaning that awful bitterness they both have. I'd rather bite
into a green persimmon.

In Oklahoma City the Chiles Rellanos are made with those awful
Poblano peppers. It should be a long pepper, I've heard Anahiem are
often used.

[ctchandler]

Prunepicker,
I enjoy the Aneheim peppers and if they weren't so narrow, they would make a great chile relleno. They are a little hotter than the poblano and personally, I like the flavor. We have to agree to disagree about the poblano/bell peppers though. I don't think the poblano is bitter. But a "green persimmon", you are one sick person to remind me of that taste!
C. T.

I was meaning that awful bitterness they both have. I'd rather bite
into a green persimmon.

In Oklahoma City the Chiles Rellanos are made with those awful
Poblano peppers. It should be a long pepper, I've heard Anahiem are
often used.

[Prunepicker]

Prunepicker,
I don't think the poblano is bitter. But a "green persimmon", you are
one sick person to remind me of that taste!
C. T.

That's very close to the taste a green bell pepper and Poblano leave
in my mouth. I don't know why. The smell does the same thing.
Red peppers don't do that to me, but they need to be charred and
left to drain a few hours before I'll have anything to do with them.

[Debzkidz]

They are not "mild," although some are grown that way. I've had many New Mexican peppers that were hotter than jalapenos, and they have a digestive afterburn if you know what I mean.

But they are freaking phenomenal foodwise. Piquant, vaguely sweet (subtle), punchy, earthy. Nice deep flavor and wonderful when smoked. The perfect accompaniment for the wonderful cuisine of New Mexico.

I love some New Mexican green chilies, but as my food palate has expanded, I've learned to love the New Mexican red chile even more (it comes from the same pepper).

If you have any confusion, my suggestion would be to take I-40 West and I-25 North about 8 hours to Santa Fe and eat at The Shed or Maria's (with many cervezas and margaritas) for like four straight nights, and have breakfast daily at Pasquale's. After that, you'll certainly understand the mania that people feel for this pepper every August / September.

I love all these places, but my favorite for breakfast is The Tecolate Cafe. Go and have the Huevos Yucatecos. It's a corn tortilla layered with black beans (which I normally don't like), egg, feta cheese, smothered in green chili, topped with swiss cheese and pico de gallo. They serve it with fried bananas. The hot and spicy of the chili combined with the sweet of the fried bananas is amazing. We've been eating there for 25 years. We're headed up later this month for a few days to get our fix.

We saw it featured on Diners, Drive In's and Dives a few years ago, and the Huevos Yucatecos was the dish they featured. Check it out online.

[RadicalModerate]

I'm going to try to make it down to that new "Farmers Market" and get my hands on some Hatch chiles before they are all gone . . .

Here is a tip on dealing with one aspect of cooking with chiles that could probably be applied to Hatch chiles as well--if they didn't happen to be pre-roasted. I use this technique whenever I make Pork Posole or Chili con Carne (which is not Chili con Frijoles although I ususally have Frijoles y Arroz on the side).

http://www.recipe-quest.com/messages...tml?1267929383