It’s Hatch Chile season! I love hatch chiles. They range in flavors from mild to YEEOOWWW! And they add a bit of smoky wonderfulness to whatever you’re making. Melissa’s Produce is the king (Queen? It’s Melissa’s, after all) of fantastic produce and when they let loose with these gorgeous chilies across the LA area, you can see stores like Gelson’s and Bristol Farms roasting them on their outdoor grills.
Recently, I was at Melissa’s Produce for a few cooking demonstrations. Robert Schueller, their PR and food maven (he really knows his stuff), generously gifted us with hatch chilies to make something fun and creative. These were beauties, with just the right amount of heat to them.
It’s very easy to roast and prep these babies. Some people do it on top of the stove, using a cast iron skillet. Just flip with they get charred, take them off the heat and cover with some aluminum foil to steam for about 10-15 minutes. I chose to roast them in my toaster oven, since I was only making 4 of them. It’s the same principle as the stove–set the temperature to 400. Using a flat pan, or the one the oven comes with, cover it with foil (easier clean up). Spray a little oil on the pan. Then, put a little on the chilies so they don’t stick. Lay the chilies down in one layer and roast for 10-12 minutes or until charred. Flip and do the same. Take them out and cover them to let them steam.
Whatever way you choose to cook them, after they cool, just cut off the stem end and peel them. Then it’s easy to open them up and scoop out the seeds. Now you’re ready for anything!
I was deciding what to make and started to do a little research on the web. I saw a few different recipes for salsa and decided to come up with one based on a few different ideas I saw. I’m really happy with the results! I hope you are, too…
Hatch Chile and Peach Salsa
Ingredients
- 4 large unskinned peaches, chopped small
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 a red onion, chopped small
- 1/2 C cilantro leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsps fresh grated ginger
- Juice of 2 limes
- 3 or 4 hatch chiles, roasted, skinned and seeded, chopped small
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate overnight so the flavors meld.
This looks fantastic. I am going to make it this weekend.