Mid-August is a favorite time of the year for me.
It’s peak season for fresh fruits and
vegetables that show up at grocery stores and farmers markets.
There’s fresh lettuce in abundance and the
corn is starting to get good and sweet.
That’s all fine and
good, but what really gets this chile head going is the fact that it’s
Hatch chile pepper season.
Pepper purists will
tell you that there’s no such thing as a Hatch pepper and I suppose that
technically they’re correct.
Hatch is a
region in the state of New Mexico at which
Anaheim chiles are grown.
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| Freshly Picked Hatch Chile Peppers |
I don’t know the science behind it, but the blistering hot
days and cool nights at the elevation in which they’re grown result in a mighty
flavorful product.
Twice the flavor (not
necessarily hotness though) of your garden variety Anaheim if you ask me.
The
Whole Foods near us is roasting them in their parking
lot for the next few weekends, and as soon as we heard about it, BowlingWidow
and I rushed down to have them roast five pounds for us.
The smell on the car ride home was heavenly.
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| Hatch Peppers in the Roaster |
After cooling, they were peeled and sealed into
freezer bags in ¾ pound increments.
I
can’t imagine getting through a winter without having pork chile verde stew at
least a couple of times using these gems.
Not to mention enchiladas,
quesadillas, and the countless other Hatch
recipes that can be found in books or online.
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| Hatch Peppers "Sweating" in a Bag Prior to Peeling |
Now if only I can learn how to stuff a
chile relleno
properly like they do in good Mexican restaurants……
