Tell me what to do with my bounty of hatch chiles!
September 7, 2017 5:34 PM Subscribe
I have 5 lbs of green, New Mexico hatch chiles. I've read the responses to this previous AskMe, but since my chiles are still raw (not pre-roasted, like those belonging to the previous asker), I'd love any additional ideas folks might have for making the most of these special chiles - including, but by no means limited to, the best methods and techniques for roasting them.
In case it matters:
- I'm not a picky eater.
- I love spicy food and live with my partner who also loves spicy food.
- We're both meat eaters but one of us used to be vegan, so we definitely don't mind a vegetarian/vegan dish.
- We have a full kitchen and a gas grill.
- While we don't have a true "smoker", we can find ways to make it work.
- Less-than-orthodox ideas for employing hatch chiles (baking? desserts?) are absolutely welcome!
- Ideas for long term preservation (drying, canning, freezing) would be great, too.
Basically, anything goes.
In case it matters:
- I'm not a picky eater.
- I love spicy food and live with my partner who also loves spicy food.
- We're both meat eaters but one of us used to be vegan, so we definitely don't mind a vegetarian/vegan dish.
- We have a full kitchen and a gas grill.
- While we don't have a true "smoker", we can find ways to make it work.
- Less-than-orthodox ideas for employing hatch chiles (baking? desserts?) are absolutely welcome!
- Ideas for long term preservation (drying, canning, freezing) would be great, too.
Basically, anything goes.
As soon as a new batch of green chilies enters the house, I roast and peel a few and make green chili grilled cheese sandwiches, eschewing all other tasks until the sandwich is consumed.
posted by the Real Dan at 5:41 PM on September 7, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by the Real Dan at 5:41 PM on September 7, 2017 [7 favorites]
Response by poster: falsedmitri: no, I'm in northern Virginia, these were imported by my local grocery store.
posted by nightrecordings at 5:41 PM on September 7, 2017
posted by nightrecordings at 5:41 PM on September 7, 2017
If you roast them and peel the skin, be sure to use gloves. You can roast batches in the oven, peel, slice or chop it, then freeze it.
I'm a native New Mexican who's been eating green chile my entire life. As far as I'm concerned, it's not so important how you roast them, as it is that you always have some available.
As for what to do with it -- gee, I imagine you'll get a variety of suggestions.
Outside of New Mexican food, in my family we always use green chile on hamburgers, pizza, and in spaghetti sauce. It's always available and we add it to most anything.
One thing you might try that I recently experimented with, is making some sauteed mushrooms using butter, teriyaki, garlic, and green chile -- then using that for stuff.
You can pretty much add green chile to most pasta dishes. It's good in alfredo, especially if you add some piñones.
Make a traditional New Mexican green chile stew and freeze portions of it.
It's nice that fresh Hatch green chile is becoming available all over the US. It's always been a pain to get -- in the past, in my family, anytime anyone flew back to NM, they'd take a extra suitcase just to fill with chile. But these days, even here in Kansas City (and, apparently, Virginia) there are fresh chile roastings at supermarkets in the fall, just like back home. It makes me happy.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 6:07 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
I'm a native New Mexican who's been eating green chile my entire life. As far as I'm concerned, it's not so important how you roast them, as it is that you always have some available.
As for what to do with it -- gee, I imagine you'll get a variety of suggestions.
Outside of New Mexican food, in my family we always use green chile on hamburgers, pizza, and in spaghetti sauce. It's always available and we add it to most anything.
One thing you might try that I recently experimented with, is making some sauteed mushrooms using butter, teriyaki, garlic, and green chile -- then using that for stuff.
You can pretty much add green chile to most pasta dishes. It's good in alfredo, especially if you add some piñones.
Make a traditional New Mexican green chile stew and freeze portions of it.
It's nice that fresh Hatch green chile is becoming available all over the US. It's always been a pain to get -- in the past, in my family, anytime anyone flew back to NM, they'd take a extra suitcase just to fill with chile. But these days, even here in Kansas City (and, apparently, Virginia) there are fresh chile roastings at supermarkets in the fall, just like back home. It makes me happy.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 6:07 PM on September 7, 2017 [6 favorites]
Do you have a grill or access to a grill? If so, do what I do with my Hatches...I turn the flames up as high as they go and roast the chilies. Once nicely roasted, peel the skins off, then roughly chop them in a food processor. Then, spoon them into a bunch of those little snack-sized baggies, and freeze them. Now you have reasonable portions of Hatch chilies year round.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:02 PM on September 7, 2017
posted by Thorzdad at 7:02 PM on September 7, 2017
Roasting them on the gas grill is super easy. Roast them over indirect heat, and close the grill lid. Turn every few minutes for an even char.
posted by Miko at 7:19 PM on September 7, 2017
posted by Miko at 7:19 PM on September 7, 2017
If you're drinkers (or know drinkers), I'd take a few, slice them up & put in some vodka (I've seen ratios of 3 chiles to 2 cups of vodka, but I think whatever you decide works) and infuse for a couple of weeks. Or, if you're crazy, infuse some tequila. The vodka would be delicious in Bloody Marys & the tequila in ... anything that is good with tequila.
I'd probably also do a fresh pickle (you could probably skip the onions -- recipe is just an example), although those only keep about a month.
posted by darksong at 7:20 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
I'd probably also do a fresh pickle (you could probably skip the onions -- recipe is just an example), although those only keep about a month.
posted by darksong at 7:20 PM on September 7, 2017 [3 favorites]
Two of my favorites:
Green chile cream cheese on a (optionally green chile) bagel.
New Mexican Hawaiian pizza: ham, pineapple, and, you guessed it, the green stuff!
posted by ellenaim at 8:04 PM on September 7, 2017
Green chile cream cheese on a (optionally green chile) bagel.
New Mexican Hawaiian pizza: ham, pineapple, and, you guessed it, the green stuff!
posted by ellenaim at 8:04 PM on September 7, 2017
Our local market goes HATCH CHILE MAD -- it's fun! -- and they put it them in potato salad, which I highly recommend.
posted by Countess Sandwich at 8:19 PM on September 7, 2017
posted by Countess Sandwich at 8:19 PM on September 7, 2017
Central Market does a Hatch Chili Sorbet in various different combos - my favorite was the mango/hatch. I hate to recommend a Sandra Lee recipe, but this can't be far from what they do. I'd maybe do half a small chile and try the taste before freezing, so you can adjust the taste according to spicy preference.
posted by theweasel at 8:28 PM on September 7, 2017
posted by theweasel at 8:28 PM on September 7, 2017
You can roast on grill or in oven. Placing in paper bag to allow to steam after grilling will improve peal-ability. Please use gloves unless you want your hands to burn for 24-48 hours afterward
posted by Pressed Rat at 8:36 PM on September 7, 2017
posted by Pressed Rat at 8:36 PM on September 7, 2017
I used some of those roasted chiles to make Chile vodka as well. It was awesome would recommend! Since then I've roasted a bunch of other peppers in the oven, though not in the bulk you're looking at. Agreed that when you do roast them though wear gloves!
posted by Carillon at 9:22 PM on September 7, 2017
posted by Carillon at 9:22 PM on September 7, 2017
Seconding pickling them. I like me some chiles, but 5 pounds is a lot, but if you're up to the task of pickling them, you can be enjoying them for the next year or two.
Or freeze them.
posted by Candleman at 9:23 PM on September 7, 2017
Or freeze them.
posted by Candleman at 9:23 PM on September 7, 2017
I used a torch and blackened them, then rubbed them with a paper towel to get the skin off. On a beyond burger, in a taco, just straight off the cutting board, all good.
posted by Huck500 at 9:34 PM on September 7, 2017
posted by Huck500 at 9:34 PM on September 7, 2017
Seconding freezing at least a portion, so nothing goes to waste and you'll have them at hand for a long time. Chiles freeze just fine.
posted by Too-Ticky at 1:26 AM on September 8, 2017
posted by Too-Ticky at 1:26 AM on September 8, 2017
Supremely delicious magic sandwich:
Cut chiles in half vertically and then trim so you get two big flattish pieces of chile. Get slightly underripe peaches and cut in half, removing pit, then cut again horizontally so you have two rings and two little bowl shaped pieces of approximately equal thickness.
Grill your peaches and chiles. If you have a grill pan it is easier. You want to get good marks on the peaches but don't let the sugar totally burn up, keep an eye on them. The chiles are good at pretty much any level of doneness, imo.
Get some good slices of robust bread, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Put the bread on the grill to toast. Flip to toast the other sides. Slice fresh mozzarella and place on your flipped bread, then slide the hot peaches and chiles on top of that to make it all melty. Apply remaining bread slice to top, remove from heat and sit on your hands so you don't burn yourself picking it up. Oh man so good, aaahhhh
posted by Mizu at 3:29 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
Cut chiles in half vertically and then trim so you get two big flattish pieces of chile. Get slightly underripe peaches and cut in half, removing pit, then cut again horizontally so you have two rings and two little bowl shaped pieces of approximately equal thickness.
Grill your peaches and chiles. If you have a grill pan it is easier. You want to get good marks on the peaches but don't let the sugar totally burn up, keep an eye on them. The chiles are good at pretty much any level of doneness, imo.
Get some good slices of robust bread, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Put the bread on the grill to toast. Flip to toast the other sides. Slice fresh mozzarella and place on your flipped bread, then slide the hot peaches and chiles on top of that to make it all melty. Apply remaining bread slice to top, remove from heat and sit on your hands so you don't burn yourself picking it up. Oh man so good, aaahhhh
posted by Mizu at 3:29 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
I recently got some Hatch and other chiles in my farm box in a week that I was not going to be able to do anything really great with them and it was too hot even late at night to stand in front of a grill, so I did them under the broiler, with the rack a little bit on the low side so they had to sit for a good many minutes to work up a char. Froze all but one skin-on, used the remaining in a hastily-improvised Hatch dirty rice dish and it was great.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:17 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Lyn Never at 8:17 AM on September 8, 2017 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Also, I freeze roasted (with skin on) green chiles with no problem.
posted by falsedmitri at 5:36 PM on September 7, 2017 [1 favorite]