Posted on Wed, Aug. 13, 2008

It’s Hatch chile time! Here’s how to make the most of these long green lovelies

"Get your fix."

That’s the slogan the New Mexico Department of Agriculture uses to promote the state’s green chiles.

It seems appropriate. Every year, the chile hoopla grows as New Mexico long green chiles arrive in Metroplex markets. They’re familiarly known as Hatch chiles, after the Mesilla Valley town of Hatch, and they’re available only in August and September.

It is the soil and growing conditions in the Mesilla Valley that give these chiles their distinctive lusty flavor. They range from mild to quite hot; some markets sell both hot and mild varieties.

These days, all the major supermarkets here carry the chiles in season. Some stores set up their own propane-fired mesh-drum roasters. Green-chile-heads buy the peppers in bulk to freeze until the next year’s season rolls around.

Where to buy them

Central Market: In stores now, raw and roasted; $1.29 and $2.79 a pound, respectively.

Cooper Street Farmers Market in Arlington: By Aug. 22, raw and roasted; no price yet.

Fiesta: In stores now, raw; $1.39 to $1.49 a pound.

Kroger: By Monday, raw; 99 cents a pound.

Tom Thumb: By Saturday, raw; price unavailable.

Whole Foods: By Saturday, raw in all stores, roasted in some; price to be determined.

How to roast them

Most recipes call for roasted, peeled and seeded green chiles. If you’re buying them to freeze, for my money, it’s worth paying more to let the store do the roasting. But the chiles can certainly be roasted at home, either on a grill, under the broiler or, if you’re roasting only a few, individually over a stove-top gas flame.

First slit them along one side or pierce them with a fork; then roast them, turning often, until the skin is almost all black and the flesh is cooked but not mushy. Removing the seeds and trimming the veins before roasting will temper the heat.

If you will be freezing the chiles, cool them and bag them without peeling; they will peel easily after they’ve been defrosted.

If you want crisper chiles, plunge them into ice water directly after cooking. For softer chiles, place in a bowl or pan and cover with a towel, or place in a paper bag and close loosely, until they cool. Peel from the stem end down.

Ways to use them

For updated chiles rellenos, stuff roasted and peeled green chiles with a mixture of cream cheese and goat cheese and bake them at 375 degrees until heated through.

Add chopped roasted chiles to a favorite biscuit, cornbread or corn muffin recipe or mix. Scatter them atop pizza shells along with shredded chicken, onions, shredded cheese and salsa verde.

Use them to punch up casseroles; canned or from-scratch pinto beans; sauteed summer squash; canned chicken soup; hash browns, mashed potatoes or potato pancakes; or eggs, whether scrambled, in an omelet or frittata, or in a quiche.

Green chiles and corn are natural partners, as this chile-spiked corn pudding proves.

Green-chile corn pudding

Use hot or mild green chiles, according to your palate. We used hot ones, which gave the dish quite a little kick. You can substitute 1 cup of half-and-half for the milk and cream, or use all milk to reduce the fat and calories. You can also substitute bacon grease for the butter.

Serves 6

4 ears fresh sweet corn

3 roasted, seeded and peeled New Mexico green chiles, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

3 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup whole milk

3 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Slice kernels from cobs with a sharp knife; do not cut all the way to the cob but take about half the kernel off. You should have about 2 cups of kernels. Place kernels in a large bowl; then "milk" the remainder of the corn and its juices from the cobs into the bowl by scraping the cobs thoroughly with the back of your knife.

3. Stir green chiles, flour, sugar, salt and melted butter into the corn.

4. In a small bowl, beat eggs well. Add cream and milk and blend thoroughly; add to the corn mixture and blend well.

5. Pour corn mixture into a casserole or baking dish and bake for 50 minutes to an hour, until top is browned. Or bake the pudding in individual ramekins, reducing baking time to 40 minutes.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 287 calories, 20 grams fat, 22 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams protein, 157 milligrams cholesterol, 357 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber, 62 percent of calories from fat.

— Amy Culbertson