Friday, August 20, 2010

Hatch Hamburgers

My first foray into cooking with Hatch chiles this year was a Hatch hamburger. Hamburgers are my favorite food and Hatch makes them so much better.

The recipe is easy... just remove the char from 2 or 3, or 4, freshly roasted Hatch peppers, chop off the stem and remove the seeds, chop the chiles, then mix them in with a pound of lean ground beef. Shape into patties and grill or fry them to your liking. Top with cheese, tomatoes, a dollop of sour cream, and avocado slices, and you're in Hatch Chile Heaven.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Hatch Pepper Pork Chops

I love Hatch chile peppers and had two of them left in my freezer from my stash so I came up with Hatch Pepper Pork Chops. I usually cook this on the stove top but since it was a little cool outside I decided to turn on the oven for some heat in the house and bake it this time.
  • 2 -3 T. vegetable oil
  • 4 center loin pork chops, trimmed of fat
  • 1 tsp. black pepper, divided
  • 1 T. chili powder, divided
  • 1 T. ground cumin, divided
  • 1 tsp. fajita seasoning, divided
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 roasted Hatch green chiles, stemmed and seeded
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 (14.5 oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
  • 1-1/2 cups water
  • 3/4 cup whole grain brown rice
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops, season each side with a sprinkle or two of the spices, and brown on both sides. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.

Add the onion, green bell pepper, Hatch chiles, and garlic to the skillet. Saute in the pork drippings until tender. Season with the remaining black pepper, chili powder, cumin, and fajita seasoning.

Add the tomatoes and water. Sprinkle on some more seasonings for extra spice and heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes to blend the flavors.

Sprinkle the rice over the pork chops. Spoon the sauce over. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for one hour.

Uncover and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 5 to 10 more minutes or until the cheese melts.

I served it with a side of pinto beans. Dinner was Totally Awesome!!! :)