Hatch Chile Pimiento Cheese

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I love Lisa Fain. Her cookbooks (The Homesick Texan Cookbook and The Homesick Texan’s Family Table) are always at the forefront of my collection, Queso! being one of my absolute faves. As a follower of her blog, she got my rapt attention with a recent recipe for pimiento cheese. If you’ve read this blog for any length of time, you know that I am obsessed with pimiento cheese! Considering this is hatch chile season, her incorporation of them into pimiento cheese, replacing standard red peppers was intriguing. The addition of pecans did, indeed, take this over the top. I won’t say that it’s my new favorite, but I will say that it’s right up there. Because the pecans, I felt, made this a little dry, I altered her recipe slightly. Excellent!

 Hatch Chile Pimiento Cheese
Adapted from Lisa Fain

2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 t. grated yellow onion
1 clove garlic, minced
½ c. diced, roasted, Melissa’s hatch chiles (about 1½, give or take)
½ c. chopped pecans
¼ t. cumin
Pinch cayenne
1/3 c. Duke's mayonnaise
1 t. lemon juice
½ t. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl, combine all above ingredients. Refrigerate, covered, for at least an hour before serving.

 

Cream of Roasted​ ​Hatch Chile Soup

In case you were unaware, it is hatch chile seasoning. Years ago, I had never heard of hatch chiles, these days it’s hard to find someone who hasn’t. If you happen to fall into the latter group, let me explain what hatch chiles are. Hatch chiles are those grown in the Hatch Valley of New Mexico. The warm days and cool nights in this valley create a uniquely flavored chile that is much sought after by fans of southwestern dishes like me. They have a meaty flesh and mild-medium heat making them ideal for use in a wide variety of dishes. I roasted them this morning, and used them in this delicious soup. For more information on how to prepare hatch chiles, or additional recipes, you can purchase a copy of Melissa's Hatch Chile Cookbook here. Celebrate the season! It doesn’t last long. 

Cream of Roasted​ ​Hatch Chile Soup

3 T. butter

3 T. flour

3 c. homemade chicken stock

2 c. heavy cream

2 T. butter

1 large onion, minced

1 c. Melissa's Roasted Red Bell Peppers, finely diced​

​3 Melissa's Hatch chiles*, roasted, seeded, finely diced

2 c. Gruyere cheese, grated

¼ t. Kosher salt, if needed

Garnish with finely chopped parsley, a sprinkling of Hatch Chile Powder, or crumbled Hatch Chile Clean Snax. The latter gives it a nice sweet little kick.

Melt the 3 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large saucepan over low heat. Add flour and ​whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in stock and cream. Increase heat and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Add cheese to cream mixture and stir until melted.

Meanwhile, in a ​heavy small skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Add onion and cook until soft, stirring occasionally about 8 minutes. Mix in red peppers and hatch chiles. Stir vegetables into cream mixture. Season with salt, garnish with parsley, and serve.

Serves 8.

​

*Hatch chiles are available either mild or hot, so you control the heat here.​

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One of the most popular recipes on the blog is Cream of Roasted Jalapeno Soup. If you like more heat and less cheese, you may want to try that one. It was on it that this Hatch version is based.

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Corn and Hatch Chile Relish

With hatch chiles in season, and fresh corn still in abundance, there is no better time to make corn relish than now. If you've never made corn relish before, or have no idea what you do with it, let me educate you. Corn relish is a delicious, fresh, crisp, succulent condiment that can be used on sandwiches, stirred into potato salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, or as a delicious topping on a grilled hotdog. It gives a whole new meaning to the word “corndog.” It's easy to stir together, and just needs a number of hours in the fridge for the flavors to meld. I like it so much, that I could eat it as a side dish, and often do. Last night I tossed a scoopful into a chopped salad, it was wonderful! If you're looking for a way to give every day dishes some extra zing, adding corn relish will do the trick!

 Corn and Hatch Chile Relish

1/2 cup Melissa’s Fire Roasted Sweet Red Bell Peppers, diced
1/4 cup roasted Melissa’s hatch chiles, diced
3 large ears fresh corn, husked and stripped
2 tablespoons chopped scallions
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon real maple syrup (Grade A)
1 teaspoon Crystal hot pepper sauce
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons olive oil

 In a large bowl toss together red peppers, hatch chiles, fresh corn niblets, and chopped scallions; set aside.

Mix remaining ingredients together in a medium bowl, and whisk until well combined. Pour dressing over vegetables, stirring to coat. Refrigerate for at least one hour (longer is better), and serve as you see fit.

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