Did you know that it is Hatch Green Chile time? Hatch is the name of a town in New Mexico and they grow the most incredible green Chiles in the world. The Chiles are harvested during August and September each year. There is even a festival dedicated to celebrating the harvest of this wonderful pepper. You may be familiar with the red Chile Ristra used for decoration and seasoning throughout the world.
Over the years, I have tried to find just the right recipe that will capture the taste of freshly picked peppers but have come up short every time. That is, until last week. I was reading an article from Dave Cathey, The Food Dude, in the Food Section of the Daily Oklahoman. Dave gave an overview of his recipe and made several recipes with the Chiles as well and it all looked delicious! Here, take a look for yourself: http://newsok.com/hatch-by-the-batch-buy-your-green-chiles-in-bulk-and-store-heat-for-the-winter/article/3702945 I knew this was the recipe to use so I emailed Dave and asked if it was okay to use it and then blog about it – he was very gracious and said it was just fine with him so I made a few calls to my daughter and the next thing you know, she showed up in the driveway with these:
Look in the tutorial tab (to be posted tomorrow) for a detailed description of how to roast, peel, deseed, devein, and prepare for cooking.
Dave’s recipe calls for:
80 Hatch green chilies, roasted, peeled, and seeded.
4 medium sweet onions, dice
1 head of garlic
4 carrots, grated
16 Cups chicken stock
¼ Cup salt
2 Tablespoons ground black pepper
½ Cup vegetable oil
I, of course, did my own thing changing it here and there to make it mine. This is my process:
We take up here with a big old bowlful of prepared Hatch Green Chiles – in this case 160 peppers:
Yep, 160 because my daughter thought a flat of peppers was actually a case of peppers so she had her husband buy 2 cases – that’s a little more than 2 bushels!! Just in case you are wondering, right now I am sick of smelling, eating, and looking at Hatch Chile Peppers.
I used a bag of small carrots, 4 large onions, and 4 heads of garlic – and I didn’t really dice or grate any of it.
Instead of chicken stock, I wanted it to have a deeper more complex flavor so I used some duck stock (equal to 20 cups) I had made back when I prepared my yearly gumbo – that also served as the oil I was going to use.
Salt and regular pepper of course and I used about what Dave’s recipe called for because we aren’t big salt people.
I pulled out my handy dandy brand new bought-for-$8-at-a-yard-sale roaster and dumped it all in. I turned the roaster to 200 F degrees, put the lid on, and ran out the door to the dentist. I returned five hours later and this is what it looked like.
I turned the roaster up to 325 F degrees and went to bed in order to recover from the filling and shot. After three hours it looked like this:
I began using the emersion mixer to puree the whole thing.
Doesn’t that look good?
Then I ladled it all into different sized jars for different uses, eventually equaling twenty ½ pints.
Then I processed them in the pressure cooker according to my cooker’s directions and this is how they looked when it was all finished.
It took three full days of Top Girl and me working together, but we got it done and while there is another full bushel of peppers to be worked up waiting patiently for us in freezer bags, Top Girl, Lawyer Boy, and Mr. Picky-eater will have all the green Chile they want this winter for homemade enchiladas, burritos, tailgate dips, and Chile Verde.
There are still plenty of Hatch Chile Peppers in the stores so why don’t you make some? Just take Dave’s recipe and increase or decrease it to make an amount you are comfortable with. Come on – you can do it!! BTW, these peppers were marked “Hot” on the box and even with them seeded and deveined the word “Hot” pales in comparison to the white strike of lightening that hits my tongue every time I taste them!
FAQs
New Mexico/Hatch Chiles
These long green chiles are virtually identical to California and Anaheim peppers, with one distinct difference: they are much, much hotter. Hatch chiles are New Mexico chiles that are grown in the small town of Hatch, New Mexico, and are considered premium green chiles.
What is the Scoville Scale for Hatch green chiles? ›
Hatch peppers can range from 1,000 – 8,000 in Scoville Heat Units – for perspective, they generally fall between the mild spice of a poblano or Anaheim chili pepper and can heat up towards a jalapeno or habanero on the Scoville Scale.
What's so special about Hatch green chiles? ›
Roasted Hatch chiles take on an almost buttery flavor with sweet heat. It's not just the taste but the aroma of them roasting is world famous. In fact, New Mexico may become the first state to have a state aroma: “green chiles roasting in the fall”. Their popularity stretches way beyond New Mexico however.
Can you freeze green chili sauce? ›
It's just as easy to make a gallon of sauce as it is to make a quart. I like to ladle mine into 4 quart size zip-top bags, let it cool, label it and then freeze it. It should be used within 1 week if fresh, or 6 months if frozen. Another good option, especially if you grow chilies in your garden, is to can it.
Are Hatch chiles hotter than jalapenos? ›
So, in terms of heat, some Hatch Chile is milder than a jalapeno, while others are just as hot, or even hotter. It all depends on the specific variety of Hatch chile you're dealing with.
Are Hatch chiles hotter than poblano peppers? ›
Hatch peppers can range from 1,000 – 8,000 in Scoville Heat Units – for perspective, they generally fall between the mild spice of a poblano or Anaheim chili pepper and can heat up towards a jalapeno or habanero on the Scoville Scale.
Which is hotter red or green hatch Chile? ›
Did you know that all Hatch chile varieties eventually turn red as they ripen to full maturity? That doesn't mean they necessarily get hotter – as they redden they develop deeper often sweeter flavor, while the heat level doesn't typically increase.
Do Hatch green chiles need to be roasted? ›
Although you can prepare Hatch chiles in several ways, there's really no denying the benefits of roasting. You'll develop the fullest flavor that makes you feel right at home in the Southwest when you bite into one.
Are Anaheim and Hatch chiles the same? ›
The Anaheim pepper is usually mild. According to the Scoville scale, they range from 500 to 2,500 Scoville units. Because of the soil and heat, the Hatch chili ranges from 1,000 to 8,000 Scoville units! In other words, the super hot ones are similar to the warmth of a Serrano pepper.
Do you have to peel Hatch green chiles? ›
Many people consider green chile peppers to be a staple of the New Mexican diet, adding flavor and providing an excellent source of fiber and vitamins A and C. The most important step in processing green chile is removing the outer skin, which is necessary before further cooking or canning.
Yes, like any fresh food, roasted Hatch Green Chile can go bad. Once the chiles are roasted, they need to be refrigerated and typically used within a week to maintain their best flavor and quality. If you've opened a jar of roasted green chiles, they should be used within 7 days after opening, even if refrigerated.
What to do with a lot of green chilies? ›
Pop leftover chillies into a bag or plastic box and store in the top drawer of your freezer. They're fantastic finely grated directly from frozen, which creates a tasty, beautiful chilli dust that is great in cooking and marinades, or for sprinkling over pastas, salads, starters, antipasti, meat or fish dishes.
Is salsa verde the same as green chili sauce? ›
The peppers and tomatillos are roasted then blended with onion, garlic, cilantro and sometimes other herbs and spices to season and deepen the flavor of the sauce. It is also known as salsa verde- which simply translates to 'green sauce' in spanish.
What is the shelf life of green chilli sauce? ›
Country of origin : India Shelf life : 18 Months The product image(s) shown are representative of the actual product.
Are Hatch chiles the same as green chiles? ›
Hatch chiles come in several varieties.
While green and red Hatch chiles are really just the same pepper picked at different times, they do each offer distinct flavors. "When picked early and then roasted, Hatch green chiles have a very smoky, upfront flavor," explains Cotanch.
Are all green chiles Hatch? ›
Only chile grown here in Hatch, New Mexico, and the surrounding Hatch Valley is actually “Hatch Chile”. There are many different varieties of green and red chile grown here, meaning “hatch chile” is a catchall phrase for chile grown in the Valley.
What is a substitute for Hatch green chiles? ›
If you are unable to obtain Hatch peppers, Anaheim peppers make a good substitute. Cubanelle peppers can work as well. I've used poblano peppers as a substitute and was quite happy. You really want to find a good thicker walled chili pepper to sub in for Hatch chiles, something with a milder level of heat.
Are hatch green chile peppers hot? ›
How hot is a Hatch? The Scoville Scale measures the relative heat of hot peppers, and most Hatch chiles score between 1,500 and 2,500 units—about the same level of heat as poblano or Anaheim peppers.
