Bristol Farms grocery to celebrate annual chile festival at
La Cumbre Plaza
Chiles and more will be featured during Saturday’s Hatch Chile Festival at Bristol Farms grocery in La Cumba Plaza. The festival will run from
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Hatch Heads (yes, that’s what they call themselves) can rejoice because it’s that time of year again for the Hatch Chile and Bristol Farms’ annual Hatch Chile Festival, which started Aug. 13.
As the summer heats up, the gourmet grocer will offer fresh Hatch Chiles, a variety of Hatch grocery items, Hatch-flavored meats and seafood, freshly prepared foods with Hatch Chiles and a live roasting event from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 27 outside its location at La Cumbre Plaza.
These special chilies are grown in the New Mexico desert, providing a unique growing climate where they thrive in the drought and become spicier in the dry heat.
“As the nationwide shortage for Sriracha continues, having the Hatch Chile available will be a nice reprieve,” said Scott Wiggans, director of produce operations for Bristol Farms. “Hatch Chiles are only available for a short time, around six weeks out of the year. The season typically runs from August to September, but depending on weather conditions, that can be shorter or a bit longer. They have an amazing smoky flavor with the perfect balance of heat and sweetness.
“They are perfect for any savory or sweet dish, which is why Bristol Farms celebrates them annually with a variety of Hatch food products and special live roastings at select locations.”
Among the Hatch Food products are bakery items, sushi, meat and seafood. Included are Hatch Pepper Cornbread and Hatch Pepper and Cheese Scone; Hatch Chile Poke and Hatch Chile Fiesta Roll; Hatch Dungeness Crab Cake, Hatch Salmon Patty and Hatch Halibut Cake.
Meat items include Hatch Chile Chicken Sausage, Hatch Chile Beef Patties, Hatch Chile Sweet Italian Pork Sausage, Hatch Chile Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage, Beef Flank Hatch Chile Hot Wheel, Hatch Chile Beef Meat Loaf 22%, Hatch Chile Chicken Hibachi Sticks, Hatch Chile Marinated Pork Tenderloin, Hatch Baja Pollo Taco Mix, Hatch Al Pastor Pork Taco Mix and Hatch Tex Mex Beef Taco Mix.
Popular recipes using Hatch Chiles include the following:
Grilled Veggie and Hatch Pepper Macaroni Salad
1 sweet onion, sliced (about 1 cup).
2 large carrots, trimmed and halved lengthwise.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
Melissa’s Hatch Pepper Seasoning to taste.
Freshly ground pepper to taste.
1 pound small elbow macaroni, cooked, drained and rinsed with cold water.
2 Hatch Peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped.
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved.
3 mini cucumbers, trimmed, quartered lengthwise, and chopped.
2 jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained.
1 small can black olives, drained.
6 ounces pine nuts.
1/2 cup raisins.
Juice of 1/2 lemon.
1 tablespoon smoked paprika.
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese.
1 1/4 cups Italian dressing.
Preheat a grill to medium-high. Brush the onion and carrots with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper seasoning and ground pepper to taste. Grill just until grill marks form; the carrots should still be crisp. Cool completely and chop the vegetables.
In a large bowl, combine the macaroni, Hatch Peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, artichokes, olives, pine nuts, raisins, lemon juice, and paprika and mix well.
Stir in the onion and carrots. Add the feta and dressing, toss to mix, and adjust the seasonings. Serve or refrigerate for up to five days.
Yield: Makes six to eight servings
Hatch Pepper Buttermilk Biscuits with Honey Butter
Honey Butter.
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened.
1/4 cup honey.
1 Hatch Pepper, roasted, seeded and diced.
Biscuits.
4 cups all-purpose flour.
1 tablespoon baking powder.
1/2 teaspoon baking soda.
2 teaspoon salt.
8 tablespoons ice cold butter, cut into cubes.
3 Hatch Peppers, roasted, seeded and diced.
1 3/4 cups buttermilk.
4 tablespoons butter, melted, for brushing.
For the honey butter, combine all of the honey butter ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until well mixed. The honey butter can be refrigerated for up to one week, but bring it to a room temperature before serving.
For the biscuits, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a baking sheet. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the cold butter one cube at a time, using your hands to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the Hatch Peppers and slowly add the buttermilk, mixing just until fully incorporated.
On a floured surface, shape the dough into a ball. Roll out into a rectangle and fold the dough over. Roll out again, fold over, and roll out into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Cut out biscuits using a 2- or 3-inch ring cutter, place the biscuits on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart, and brush the tops with melted butter. Bake until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve with the honey butter.
Yield: Makes 12 biscuits.
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
FYI
The Hatch Chile Festival will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 27 at Bristol Farms grocery, 3855 State St., in La Cumbre Plaza. For more information, visit www.bristolfarms.com.
