Hatch-choo!

We just finished a really fun stretch at work--the annual Hatch Chile Festival. Hatch chiles are a green chile pepper grown in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico, and they come into season in August and early September. What makes them special is the fact that they are grown in this particular area of New Mexico--hot days, with cool nights, the minerals of the soil, the sun exposure, all of this combine to give the Hatch chile its distinctive flavor and heat. Seeds from the Hatch chile grown outside the valley just don't taste the same. In fact, the more well-known Anaheim chile pepper didn't exist before farmers in California tried to plant Hatch chile seeds in their fields, and they just didn't taste quite the same.

Hatch chiles can be used fresh, but they really shine if they are first roasted. The fresh peppers are placed in large, metal mesh drums that are turned on a spit over an open flame. They are blistered and blackened, and they take on a smokey, richer flavor when roasted. They also freeze beautifully once roasted.

So, after two weeks of Hatch-themed cooking classes, food demonstrations, featured prepared foods, and overall Hatch-mania at work, I just couldn't help myself. I brought home a couple of pounds of fresh peppers and a big tub of roasted peppers and started to tinker in the kitchen. Enjoy!

Roasted Hatch and Tomato Salsa

Makes about 4 cups

1 large onion, peeled and quartered
3 large tomatoes, cored and cut in half
6 to 8 roasted Hatch chiles, stems, seeds and skins removed
Juice of 2 limes
1 bunch of cilantro, leaves removed and stems discarded
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven broiler to 500 ⁰F. Place the onion and tomatoes on a sheet pan under the broiler. Broiler, turning as needed, until blistered and beginning to blacken. Transfer the vegetables to food processor with the chiles, lime juice and cilantro. Process to a chunky puree. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Hatch Green Mole Chicken

Serves 4

1 pound tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed

1 large white onion,peeled, trimmed and cut in quarters

4 tablespoons canola oil, divided

²/₃ cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

6 to 8 roasted Hatch chiles, peeled, seeded and chopped

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

1 teaspoons granulated sugar

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves removed and stems discarded 

½ cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley

Juice of 2 limes

8 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish 

Preheat oven to 450°F. 

Place the tomatillos and onions on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Roast until the tomatillos and onions are browned and crispy on the edges, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Preheat a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of the oil and the pumpkin seeds. Toast the pumpkin seeds, stirring constantly, until they begin to pop, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and chiles to the pan and sauté until aromatic, about 1 minute. Add the cumin, coriander, oregano, roasted tomatillos and onions, sugar, and stock. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, parsley, and lime juice. Remove from the heat.

Transfer the sauce to a blender and puree until smooth. (Be careful not to overfill the blender with the hot liquid to keep it from overflowing.) You may need to process in batches depending on the size of your blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and thin the sauce as needed with additional stock or water.

Place a large skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. When the skillet is hot, add the oil and place the chicken thighs skin side down in the skillet. Cook,undisturbed, until the skin is golden brown and crispy, about 6 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces over and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes to brown the second side. Pour the mole sauce from the blender into the skillet and over the thighs. Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and continue to cook, checking and stirring occasionally, until the thighs are cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Transfer the thighs to a serving platter, spoon over some of the mole and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve.

Hatch Chile Vodka Gimlet

I started with a completely different recipe in mind. I attempted to candy fresh Hatch chiles. I won't say the didn't turn out well, they just didn't work exactly as I had intended. I'll keep working on the candying process, but the happy discovery I made is that the Hatch chile syrup makes a really great cocktail mixer.

For the candied Hatch chile rings and syrup:

2 cups sugar, plus additional for dredging

2 cups water

4 fresh Hatch chiles, sliced into rings, seeds and stems discarded

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. When the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is clear, add the chile rings. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue to simmer the chiles until they begin to turn translucent, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. 

Place about a generous amount of sugar on a plate. With a slotted spoon, remove the chile rings from the syrup and drop them into the sugar. Dredge the pepper rings in the sugar, then transfer them to a drying rack set over a sheet pan. Let the chiles dry out for several hours, then transfer to an airtight container to store. Allow the syrup to cool, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.

For the gimlet:

2 ½ ounces vodka

½ ounce fresh lime juice

½ ounce Hatch Chile syrup

1 candied Hatch chile ring

Place the vodka, lime juice and syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Close the shaker and shake until the exterior frosts. Strain the cocktail into a glass and garnish with a candied Hatch chile ring.