Another Summer has come and is almost gone. Even though my life is approximately twelve times happier than it was at this time last year, the undeniable and unpleasant signs of the end of Summer haven’t changed a bit. My overheated body that still hasn’t managed 2 shades of a tan all summer, three cranky animals, and my sauna-like apartment. Then, there is the fact that Summer is only technically almost gone. Knowing Los Angeles, the heat is going to stick around until flash forward, I am stringing up Christmas lights on my patio wearing short shorts, a tube top, and 50 SPF. Not many things around this town resemble anything close to seasonality. There is at least one thing though, that only comes around once a year and is the best, most special thing in the world–hatch chile season.
With my Dad being from New Mexico, home of the hatch chile, I grew up understanding their importance and sheer glory. Whenever a family member made a visit to Albuquerque, large frozen containers of green chile came back to the house and were enjoyed most often simply with a bit of garlic salt and a tortilla. In New Mexico, there is a rare meal that doesn’t include it. “Red or green?” is a question you’ll be asked everywhere you go in the state–red chile is made from more mature chile pods where as the green variety is made from chiles that have been picked at an earlier stage. If you end up in town and are asked the state question, be cool like me, and get everything “Christmas style.” In my opinion, there is a distinct heat profile in the hatch chile–it’s quite spicy but always seems to come across low and slow in its flavor and finds its way into being enjoyable despite its spicy heat.
Towards the end of the summer, many local grocery stores and markets in the Western United States, will not only carry the chiles in the produce section but also roast them at roasting events. You can definitely roast them yourself but the way they do it is just the best–they are roasted in a caged cylindrical drum that is rotated, constantly, over a propane fueled flame. This method provides an even heat and blistering on every inch of the chiles. Every year, I pick up at least 5 pounds of these amazing things and freeze them for dishes all Fall and Winter long.
The recipe I’m showing you guys today is easily in the top 5 on my favorite list of my own recipes (yes, I rank my own creations.) It’s my take on a New Mexican hatch chile dish that is absolutely mind numbingly good. This recipe is not about technique–just about ingredients and time. If you don’t enjoy spicy food and you must make this dish, I will begrudgingly let you use Anaheim peppers. They are in the same family as the hatch chile but are a heck of a lot more mild. But if you can please trust me on this one and the spiciness won’t cause you to hate me for writing this recipe, pretty please make this dish. Click below to read more and get one step closer to committing to making this for dinner this week.
