August is Hatch Chile month and for a limited time we can get our fix for these special peppers that we all love! Fire-roasted, stuffed or sauteed this versatile pepper will give any recipe a spicy punch of that south-of-the-border flavor. My husband is a big fan of these peppers and I love using them in recipes to kick things up a notch, like this Hatch Chile Queso Dip. A combination of creamy Queso and a hearty dip this recipe will be a crowd pleaser!
This month Market Street is celebrating Hatch Chile month every weekend in August with store samples, roastings, recipes, special Hatch products and more. Head to your local Market Street on August 16-17 and 23-24 for Hatch Chile Fest. Stores will be sampling special products and you can pick up half gallon and gallon size bags of hatch chilies fresh out of the roaster and ready to take home. The smell is amazing! But you better hurry, because these tasty peppers won’t last long.
I went to my local Market Street last weekend (after confirming that they were going to be offering roasted hatch chilies on Saturday and Sunday) and when I got there are 1:30 pm on Saturday they had already sold out. Yep, sold out! After talking with one of the chefs and picking up some handy brochures I decided to try roasting them myself at home.
I gathered some fresh ingredients and fired up my cast iron skillet. Once it was nice and hot I plopped the peppers down in the skillet and let them sizzle until the skin was blackened. After the skin starts to blacken and blister you remove the chilies and place them inside a sealed plastic bag for 10 minutes.
According to the handy pamphlet I picked up at Market Street, after 10 minutes you can remove the skin and seeds and they are ready to use in your recipe. I was surprised out how easy it really was to roast them…but I think I’ll try to get there early this weekend to pick up some that have already been roasted for me! Why do all the work when someone else will do it for you. 😉
The roasted peppers were amazing in this dip, the perfect amount of spicy, smokey flavor and this recipe is definitely a keeper. My husband declared that it was even better the second day and I’d say I have to agree.
For more amazing recipes using Hatch Chilies check out the Market Street Hatch Chile Pinterest board and remember Hatch Chile Fest only lasts through August and then these special peppers will be gone until next year.
Have you ever tried Hatch Chilies before?
- 1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, room temperature
- 16 oz sour cream
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups fresh corn or 14 oz can
- 3-4 Hatch Chilies, roasted and chopped
- 1 1/2 cups white American cheese, shredded
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- salt and pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a cast iron skillet roast hatch chilies until skin is blackened and begins to blister.
- Remove chilies from the skillet and place in sealed plastic bag for 10 minutes.
- Remove chilies from the plastic bag and peel the skin off and remove seeds. Finely dice chilies and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream until smooth.
- Add the corn, green chiles, 1 cup of the white American cheese and 1/2 cup of the pepperjack cheese, stir until well mixed.
- Stir in seasonings.
- Pour into a 9 inch shallow baking dish or pie pan.
- Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup pepper jack cheese and white American cheese over the top and place in the oven.
- Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until cheese starts to bubble and turn golden.
- Remove from oven and serve with chips!
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