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!!! :)

Green Chile Pork Roast

I bought a pork tenderloin the other day and was wondering what to do with it. It didn't take me long to decide to make a Green Chile Pork Roast with my Hatch chile stash.

I'm working on a new book (not a cookbook) and when I write, I usually get so involved that I lose track of time and before I know it, my stomach is growling and it's waaay past dinnertime, so I solved that dilemma today by pulling out my crock pot and making dinner this morning right after breakfast.

Don't you just love crock pots? They do all the cooking for you. All you have to do is the prep. I have this kitchen-sink mind-set when I cook in my crock pot (actually, it's every time I cook). I tend to throw a lot of ingredients into the mix, then I sort of get into a rhythm where I toss in a lot of spices without measuring.

• 1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, with juice, divided
• Fajita seasoning, to taste
• Powdered cumin, to taste
• Dried, minced garlic, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Chili powder (lots), to taste
• Mexican oregano, crumbled, to taste
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 large Hatch green chiles, roasted, seeded, and chopped, divided
• 1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin (The one I bought was seasoned with lemon-pepper, so that added some extra flavor.)
• 6 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
• 1 (12 oz.) jar roasted red peppers, with juice

Pour a little bit of the diced tomatoes, with some juice, into the bottom of the crock pot. Season to taste with the fajita seasoning, cumin, garlic, black pepper, chili powder, and oregano.

Chop the onion and Hatch chiles. Layer half of the chiles, and all the onion on top of the diced tomatoes, seasoning to taste between layers. Save the remaining half of the Hatch chiles to top the roast with before cooking.

Heat a 12-inch skillet (not a non-stick skillet--you want to get a good sear on the meat) over medium-high heat. Add the pork tenderloin, with it's own juices, and sear it on all sides. Do not brown it in olive oil or butter. You want the meat to get nice and crusty brown, plus you'll be deglazing the pan and adding the meat juices to the crock pot.

Place the browned meat on top of the veggies in the crock pot. Season to taste with the above-mentioned herbs and spices. Add a little water to the skillet to deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up all the tasty brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add these juices to the crock pot on top of the meat. Scatter the remaining Hatch chiles over top of the meat.

Add the potatoes around the sides of the meat. Add the roasted red peppers, season again, to taste, then pour the remaining diced tomatoes over everything. Put the lid on, let it cook on High for 6 hours, then enjoy your complete meal cooked in a crock pot.

I never follow a recipe when I cook. I just toss things together and hope they'll taste good. This turned out to be totally delicious, with just the perfect amount of heat. I have lots of delicious leftovers--perfect for nuking in the microwave when I'm writing waaay past dinnertime.

Hatch Green Chile Stew & Cornbread

One of my foodie friends, Dee, Texas-to-Mexico, is totally in love with Hatch chiles, maybe even more than me, and she's hatched up some spicy food for all of us to enjoy. In fact, she was the very first visitor to this brand-new baby blog and left a comment that shows she's in Hatch Chile Heaven. Be still my heart, Gloria!! I have been stalking the Hatch Chile Roasting team in our town at the local HEB Plus. I can't wait to post the recipes we've been trying! I've been in Chili Pepper heaven. (sigh....).  

Here's her Hatch Green Chile Stew, made with pork loin, red bell pepper, apples, and of course Hatch Chiles! She also made Hatch Green Chile Cornbread to go along with the stew, because it's such a perfect match and you just can't have Hatch stew without Hatch cornbread.

Visit her blog for the recipes and some Hatch history. I can tell you that she's just beginning and we can expect lots more great Hatch recipes from her! She's thinking about whipping up some "Hatch-a-ritas" before the harvest season is over.