It's Hatch Chile Time!
Do New Mexico's prize peppers live up to the hype? Plus a chile quiche recipe!
If it’s August, it must be Hatch chile season.
Every grocery around here is advertising Hatch chiles, fresh, roasted or dried, grown in New Mexico and only available during the small window of opportunity in late summer when they ripen to perfection in the state’s fertile Hatch Valley. Shoppers swarm the groceries in Southern California (and elsewhere in the West and Southwest) to pick up large bags of the peppers, usually labeled “mild” and “hot,” and occasionally “medium” and “extra hot.” On designated weekends during the season, when some markets advertise special in-store roasting events, people line up to pick up cases of the blackened chiles right off the grill and tuck them into their freezers to use throughout the rest of the year.
What’s the big deal about these peppers that, at least on the surface, don’t look all that different from many others, in particular a California variety called the Anaheim that is reputed to be a close relative?
Maybe it’s the scarcity—the sense that you’d better get to the store NOW or these precious peppers will all be gone! Or maybe it really is the taste. Hatch fans, including chefs and devoted Chile heads, swear that nothing can touch it for depth of flavor.
In a 2019 Bon Appétit article, writer Priya Krishna calls the Hatch chile “the pumpkin spice of the Rio Grande” and says it has “a flavor people can’t get enough of.”
“[It’s] like no pepper you’ve had before: it’s sweet and smoky, it has a slight funk to it and a grassiness that makes it always taste like it’s freshly picked. Like a jalapeño with more of a character arc.”
In past years, I mostly ignored the buzz about Hatch chiles. To me, one pepper was much like another. I might throw a few chiles into a salsa or soup—toss in a jalapeño for heat, a poblano for flavor but less spice, tomatillos for a green sauce, and canned green chiles when nothing else was at hand. Just because everyone else was nuts about this pepper, didn’t mean I had to fall under its spell, right?
That changed last fall after my husband Jeff and and I spent a couple of weeks in New Mexico (you can read stories about our visit here and here). In “The Land of Enchantment,” as the state’s license plates call it, it was pretty much impossible to eat a meal that didn’t include chiles, with the only question being, “Red or green?”
Now, were these chiles we consumed specifically Hatch chiles? I’m not entirely sure, but when I started noticing the supermarket ads trumpeting “Hatch Chile Season!” this summer, I caved to my curiosity and bought a few bags of the fresh peppers—the mild variety because we’re not overly fond of super spicy food in this house.
Roasting Hatches
An upscale local chain called Gelson’s trumpeted “Hatch Chile Season,” offering cases of mild, hot and extra hot roasted peppers for $40 a case (about 18 pounds roasted weight each). It actually wasn’t a bad deal, I realized after spending the better part of an afternoon roasting peppers on a wire grill atop of my stove’s gas burner, then peeling, seeding and packing them into freezer bags.
Tip: If you do decide to grill your own, as I did, pick bright green ones that are as straight as possible. The curled ones are hard to cook on all sides.
The chiles’ skin blisters and turns black as it grills, then a short enclosure in foil, plastic or, more ecologically, under a metal lid or pan, creates enough steam to make the job of peeling them easy—though messy.
(Here’s a link to a site that offers a more efficient method of roasting the peppers in the oven using a broiler. You can also use an outdoor barbecue grill. The technique should work for any pepper you choose to roast.)
But why go to the bother of roasting Hatch peppers in the first place? It turns out they have tough skins and a somewhat harsh taste when raw. They become more delicious with roasting and peeling, turning a little sweet, with a smoky taste that works well in a multitude of recipes. The first batch I peeled and seeded, while the second, I just peeled and popped in freezer bags to use when Hatch season is long past.
And about those seeds that I so laboriously sought to remove: I learned that it’s a myth that they’re the source of the chile’s heat. That actually comes from a substance called capsaicin that’s stored in little veins that run lengthwise through the pepper. In milder chiles, these veins tend to be white, while in spicier ones, they turn darker shades of yellow and orange. The darkest hues tend to be the hottest.
Sometimes it’s a bit dicey though. I bought some Hatch chiles that claimed to be hot and they were less spicy than I expected, while one or two of the ones labeled “mild” actually had more of a kick. Obviously picking peppers isn’t an exact science!
Chile quiche, anyone?
As you can imagine, there are countless recipes using Hatch Chiles to be discovered through a Google search, so if you do buy in bulk, you won’t lack for inspiration on what to do with your bounty. When the cold weather hits, I’ll be making Green Chile Stew, a recipe I wrote about last fall. Other recipes I want to try are Hatch Chile Rellenos, Hatch Green Chile Enchiladas, and Hatch Chile and Corn Fritters. A Hatch Chile Margarita might go complement the meal very well.
This time I decided to make the Hatch Chile Quiche recipe from Gelson’s, the market where I’d bought my peppers. It’s a super simple dish that resembles a classic Quiche Lorraine, except that it includes chopped green chiles and uses sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack instead of Gruyère. Here are some changes I made to the recipe and some notes.
The recipe calls for a store-bought refrigerated pie crust, but I opted to make my own from King Arthur’s Classic Single Pie Crust recipe. I’ve always found the recipe reliable and delicious, but a pre-fab crust would make prepping this dish a breeze.
As a nod to my pork-free heritage, I left out the bacon and added some sliced stir-fried mushrooms and a little chopped fresh basil. Feel free to add back in the bacon—I know it would be extremely tasty. Without it, though, the smoky, rich taste of the chiles really shines through.
The quiche seems like the perfect brunch dish. It made a delicious snack for Jeff and light lunch with a small salad for me. I gave a few slices to my appreciative neighbor Susie. “I could tell they definitely were not (canned) Ortega chiles,” she said. “They had so much more flavor.” I agree!
So finally (drum roll, please!), we return to our original question, do Hatch chiles really merit the hype? What do you think? Would you be just as happy with a different chile or some canned Ortegas? Or perhaps this is just a regional craze and you’re thinking to yourself, “Hatch, schmatch, who cares?” Whatever your thoughts, I’d love to hear from you.
As for me, I do think Hatch chiles are pretty special. Maybe it’s just that I’ve spent a few days roasting, chopping, sampling and cooking with them. My house smells like a Tex-Mex restaurant! Perhaps it’s the power of suggestion—all those signs hyping Hatch peppers and my memory of how much I loved visiting the area where they’re grown. Could it be I’m just tasting the memory of those wide-open New Mexico landscapes in every savory, smoky bite? Now that’s some powerful terroir—or maybe just a clever marketing campaign!
Meanwhile, I’ve been adding chopped chiles to omelets and tacos, sprinkling pieces over avocado toast and pondering what else to make with the chiles I’ve stashed in my freezer. Perhaps something savory and sweet—like an Apple Green Chile Pie with a Cheddar Crust. Sounds delicious—and it might be perfect for Thanksgiving in three months. (Keep your eyes on this space!)
Below are some useful links if you would like to buy Hatch Chiles, learn more about chiles in general, find out what’s the deal with the alternate spellings of chile, purchase a book of recipes, or attend a festival that’s a peon to everything Hatch.
Links:
Hot Pepper, Sweet Pepper, Black Pepper
A guide to buying Hatch chiles (Hint: You may get duped)
Some pressing Hatch questions answered--sort of
A recipe for Hatch Chile chocolate chip cookies
Thanks for reading this edition of RuthTalksFood. I appreciate your continuing support, especially those of you who choose to subscribe. There’s no charge to sign up to receive this newsletter in your in-box, but it’s priceless to me when you do, as are your comments, likes and shares.
I’ll be taking a break from blogging (and cooking!) for the remainder of August. Some traveling, reading and contemplating are on the agenda. I look forward to talking to you again in early September.
Ruth
Thanks Ruth! I didn’t know about these peppers! YUM!!! I want some now in something!
Had never heard of hatch chiles. I love being educated about West Coast food from reading your newsletter, Ruth. The quiche looks scrumptious. Enjoy some downtime!