Tis’ the season!! Hatch chili peppers are in season for much too short a time. You can find these in most grocery stores in late summer, August and September. These versatile chilies are named after the area in which they are grown, the Hatch Valley region running north and south along the Rio Grande in New Mexico. This region is considered by some as the chili capitol of the world. The unique flavor of the hatch chile is attributed to the unique soil and growing conditions in the region in which they are harvested.
Hatch chilies vary in heat level, but for the most part are not that spicy. While you can eat the chilies raw, they are typically roasted and peeled, giving them a tender buttery and smoky flavor. The skins of the peppers are pretty tough so if you are not going to eat them raw, they need to be roasted and peeled. An easy way to roast them is to broil them in the oven until all sides are charred. Then put them in a zip lock bag and let them steam until completely cooled. You an also put them in a bowl and cover with cling wrap. Once they have steamed and cooled, you can easily peel them and take out the seeds.
One of our local markets, Central Market, has a Hatch Chili Festival that goes on most of August. They bring in 110 tons of peppers for the event. It has been so successful, that a few years ago the New Mexico Tourism Department certified the festival as the most authentic one outside of New Mexico. Their pepper roasting cooks have a combined experience of over 400 years, making their roasted peppers one of the best around.
Because hatch chilies have such a short season, I like to buy a lot of them, roast them, peel and seed them and freeze them. You can also freeze them raw. Just slice them in half, take out the seeds and put in an air tight bag. There are a variety of ways to use the peppers in different recipes from dips, stews, salads, salsa, and pizza just to name a few. I like using them as an alternative to the poblano chile to make chili rellenos (stuffed chilies).