Hatch Sweet Onions Archives - Local Food Eater

Hatch Chili Season 2023: All You Need to Know

September 2, 2023 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Once you hear about the “Hatch Chili,” it seems you see them everywhere. At one time, the short harvest season was focused on the Labor Day roastings in Hatch, New Mexico. Huell Howser’s California Gold TV show showcased the roasting, and the attendees there that included devoted Los Angelenos.

Like mesquite in the 80’s, however, cooks in New Mexico have known about them for years. The vibrantly colored peppers are ideal for use in Chile Con Queso, Chile Rellenos, and Chile Verde. They are just as satisfying in salads, soups, stews, dips, and sandwiches.

Hatch Roastings and products spark local and national supermarkets

The pepper has gone from an “insider’s favorite” to a national one. This year you will see Hatch featured not only in regional supermarket produce sections, but in towering product displays, deli section dishes, outdoor pepper roastings, and restaurant menus all over the country.

More and more stores and supermarkets join in the Hatch Chile Season Celebrations. For the outdoor roasting dates, please see: //www.melissas.com/pages/hatch-pepper-roasting-dates-and-locations-2023.

Hatch peppers are named after the specific, original growing area in Hatch, New Mexico. They MUST be from Hatch, NM. And they are special. In fact, the Hatch Chile festival over Labor-Day week-end is now considered one of the biggest food festivals in the world.

Authentic Hatch peppers have a meaty flesh with heat that varies depending on the variety. However, “heat” rather than fiery spiciness applies to all Hatch peppers, from mild to hot, as Robert Schueller, Marketing Director of Melissa’s Produce loves to boast.

Also, when you freeze the roasted chilies, be sure to separate them out in batches because you cannot defrost and freeze them again. Fans buy from 25 to 50 pounds for the year!

It’s Hatch pepper season! Caution: the popcorn is crunchy, chewy and addictive!

Hatch Valley, just north of Las Cruces is home to the Hatch fields. What makes the sought-after grass green pepper unique in taste is the altitude in this southern New Mexican area where it is cold at night and hot in the daytime. The weather in Hatch gives the mildly hot and savory pepper an obsessively delicious spicy and sweet flavor.

The combination of nutrient-rich soil, intense sunlight and cool desert nights, result in a pepper with thick walls and meaty, flavorful flesh. It’s no wonder the peppers – and the sweet onion crop grown right before them – have developed a cult following. See more at //localfoodeater.com/an-insiders-guide-to-hatch-chili-season-starting-now/

Hatch pepper seasoning is all you need for these Hatch-infused sausages and mole.

Our everyday go-to for “seasoned heat” in so many dishes

HATCH CHILES may only be here for about six weeks, but Hatch products are here a lot longer. One exquisite and comprehensive new gift from Melissa’s this year is the Hatch Pepper Gift.

Featured in this gift is a festive array of Hatch items in one complete collection. It includes a copy of Melissa’s Hatch Chile Cookbook, two shakers of our famous Ground Hatch Pepper Powder, a package of Dried Hatch Peppers (Hot), 4 ounces of Hatch Pepper Seasoning, 16 ounces of Hatch Polenta, a jar of our delicious Hatch Salsa, and a tub of our Hatch Clean® Snax.

The sweetest, almost crispest onions you could image, with addictive Hatch popcorn!

Named after the original growing area in Hatch, New Mexico, authentic Hatch Peppers are prized so highly that they have developed an almost cult following. Row after row of these green leafy pepper plants are harvested for a short six-week season during the summer.

One item that turns up earlier than the chilies is the exceptional sweet onions. The onions are sweet because they are grown in the same micro-climate as the peppers.

Melissa’s Produce, in fact, has created a Hatch Essential line for those customers unable to visit Hatch itself. The line includes: Hatch Clean Snax®, Hatch dried pepper pods, Hatch pepper pecans, Hatch popcorn, Hatch polenta, Hatch salsa, Hatch seasoning powder and more. Please see //www.melissas.com for the complete line.

Zapien’s Salsa Grill Previews Hatch Chilie Season!

September 1, 2023 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) We were so fortunate to “taste a preview” of hatch pepper dishes Chef Marco’s sensational dishes with demos. The event co-hosted with Melissa’s Produce, major supplier of hatch chilis and products, who introduced the peppers decades ago.

Getting ready for the Zapian’s Salsa Grill preview for Hatch Chili 2023!

It was fitting that Marketing Director and co-host, Robert Schueller and Chef Tom Fraker were presenters. Robert reported that hatch peppers are now well known nationwide with hatch pepper roastings taking place all over the city and also all over the nation this year.

The events are so special because of the annual availability of the pepper, only grown in Hatch, New Mexico. It has been revered first locally and this year nationally as, “the bright green, glossy and flavorful pepper.”

You can learn to cook with the peppers from Master Chef Marco. A live cooking demo takes place Wednesday, september 12 from 6-8 at the restaurant.

The menu for our Zapian’s Salsa Grill preview for Hatch Chili 2023:

The menu for the Zapian’s Salsa Grill preview for Hatch Chili 2023!

Hatch dishes are featured at Zapien’s starting in July. They continue right through to the last pepper roast and special menu feast on September 9. This takes place right outside the door of the huge restaurant, taqueria and catering company, 8:00 AM- 2:00 PM. Robert suggested arriving two hours after the start because patrons line up long before the roasting begins to avoid the crowds.

Melissa’s delivers these full-flavored peppers to local markets, where customers may have them roasted for using and storing in 25 pound batches.” Robert reported, “The peppers can be frozen for up to a year– just remember separate them first!

Melissa’s Produce Director Robert Schueller (right), Winners of the social media contest at Zapien’s Salsa Grill and Taqueria

The array of tempting dishes all touched with Hatch pepper in some way, ranged from taco appetizers to entrees. Even the desserts were seasoned with Hatch peppers because the subtle heat goes well even with sweets.

Hatch Pepper Agua Fresca, Tacos, Enchiladas, Frijoles and Green Rice at Zapien’s Salsa Grill and Taqueria

Tacos seasoned with Hatch at Zapien’s Salsa Grill and Taqueria

Hatch Chile Season events are the prefect example of why Zapien’s Salsa Grill in Pico Rivera is a destination drive eatery. You can come and watch the chiles being roasted outside of the restaurant plus enjoy a full meal with seasonal treats. For details please see: //TheSalsaGrill.com

Hatch Chile Colorado and Hatch Chile Verde at Zapien’s Salsa Grill and Taqueria

The mouth-watering photos are proof enough of chef Marco’s freshly prepared dishes being as flavorful as they are authentic. Our discerning friend and colleague, ethnic food writer, Barbara Hansen, wrote up the Chile Verde for the Los Angeles Times. The article hangs in a place of honor at the restaurant.

Place of honor for Barbara Hansen’s article on Chile Verde at Zapien’s Salsa Grill and Taqueria

Zapien’s will feature a special Hatch Pepper Brunch during the roasting. The brunch includes a made-to-order omelet action station and Hatch-inspired dishes. Champagne and mimosas are included int he $39 price. Kids 12 and under ate $15 pp.

Frills de la Olla and Hatch Chile Green Rice at Zapien’s Salsa Grill and Taqueria

Desserts with Hatch subtle heat seasoning: Hatch Chili Devil’s food Cupcakes, Hatch oatmeal cookies and Hatch citrus sorbet were served at the Zapien’s Salsa Grill and Taqueria luncheon. Chef Tom Fraker’s recipes for the sorbet and a cake version of the cupcake are in the HATCH COOKBOOK.

The recipe for the cookie is printed out since the chef just created the recipe a day or so before the event. The sweet and spicy combination works.

Hatch Chili Devil’s food Cupcakes, Hatch oatmeal cookies and Hatch citrus sorbet at Zapien’s Salsa Grill and Taqueria

Love at first bite! Melissa’s Hatch Salsa made with authentic Hatch peppers & house-made chips JUST out of Chef-owner Marco’s kitchen. You cannot stop eating them because of the crunch and the lingering tingle of pepper salsa. The name proves how fresh they are at Zapien’s Salsa Grill and Taqueria

More and more stores and supermarkets join in the Hatch Chile Season celebrations. For the outdoor roastings dates please see: //www.melissas.com/pages/hatch-pepper-roasting-dates-and-locations-2023.

Beautiful, glowing guest Ms. Gombole at the Zapien’s Salsa Grill and Taqueria luncheon

Zapiens Salsa Grill and Taqueria, 6702-04 Rosemead Blvd., Pico Rivera, CA 90660, 562-942-7072. www.thesalsagrill.com

Salsa Grill Opens and Closes the Hatch Pepper Season with Sizzle

August 18, 2022 Comments Off

Chef Marco Zapian in the midst of Melissa’s Produce Hatch Pepper treasures of the 2022 season,i

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Welcome Hatch Pepper season! And it runs longest at Zapien’s Salsa Grill. The restaurant introduced this year’s early season which started in July, and the last pepper roast and special menu feast will be right outside the door on September 10. For detail please see: //thesalsagrill.com/events-2/hatch-chile-roast-3/

We were so fortunate to preview Chef Marco’s seasonal dishes at an introductory luncheon co-hosted with Melissa’s Produce, major supplier of hatch chilis and products. The menu: Hatch Cilantro Caesar Salad; Hatch Pepper Braised Short Ribs; Roasted Hatch Pepper Beans and Hatch Pepper Rice!All the recipes are in the new HATCH PEPPER COOKBOOK available now.

Zapien’s Grill special Hatch Pepper menu with enchiladas, rice, cake and Hatch Chili ice cream!

Melissa’s delivers these full-flavored peppers to local markets, where customers may have them roasted for using and storing 25 pound batches. The peppers can be frozen for up to a year– just remember separate them first!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is HatchChileRoastingSchedule_2018.jpg — The Hatch Chili Pepper Season is on!

Anaheim peppers, baby relative of Hatch Chiles on top with the books to prepare them!

The combination of nutrient-rich soil, intense sunlight and cool desert nights, result in this sought-after pepper with thick walls and meaty, flavorful flesh. The weather in Hatch gives the mildly hot and savory pepper an obsessively delicious spicy and sweet flavor. No wonder the peppers – and the sweet onion crop grown right before them – have developed a cult following. See more at //localfoodeater.com/an-insiders-guide-to-hatch-chili-season-starting-now/

More and more stores and supermarkets celebrat Hatch Chile Season and stores with outdoor roastings, many with a variation of heat levels. For dates please see: //www.melissas.com/pages/hatch-pepper-roasting-dates-and-locations-2022

For Hatch Chile roasting at supermarkets across the southland. see: //www.melissas.com/pages/hatch-pepper-roasting-dates-and-locations-2022

Hatch chilies polenta: simply slice, braise and add to any plate with for a an extra special meal

Named after the original growing area in Hatch, New Mexico, authentic Hatch Peppers so grown in the Hatch Valley, just north of Las Cruces are prized so highly they have developed an almost cult following. Row after row of these green leafy pepper plants are harvested for a short six-week season during the summer.

Sweetest memory: A Hatch Dinner at Panxa dedicated departed chef and dedicated Hatch Pepper aficionado: **Executive Chef/Co-Owner Arthur Gonzalez** ! Read about it in //localfoodeater.com/celebrates-hatch-chile-month-2018-with-panxa-cocinas-menus-roastings/

Melissa’s Produce has created a Hatch Essential line for those customers unable to do this. The line includes: Hatch Clean Snax®, Hatch dried pepper pods, Hatch pepper pecans, Hatch popcorn, Hatch polenta, Hatch salsa, Hatch seasoning powder and more.

This year an extra special, posh “hatch party pecan mix” offers every universally loved combination from yogurt and chocolate covered to red and green dusted chilies dusted. Hatch Pepper chia & flaxseed CLEAN SNAX are wonderful to pop in your mouth or used in desserts and salads.

Extra posh and the PERFECT gift for yourself and others is the new Hatch Party Pecan Mix

For a special gift: Melissa’s Produce Hatch Chile Basket

An array of For a special gift: Melissa’s Produce Hatch Chile Products!

Once we discovered Hatch Chile from Melissa’s we started seeing it all over. We loved being surprised at the ALTAMED event with Chef Marco and bags of Hatch!

Chef Marco of Zapien’s Salsa Grill who hosts the longest season of Hatch Pepper events

You can see how happy the season makes us! Robert Schueller, Melissa’s Produce Marketing Director and major authority and enthusiastic of Hatch Pepper, where with daughter Marguerite who handing out addictive hatch pepper popcorn and brittle balls – the recipes are in the HATCH PEPPER book available for purchase online!

Robert Schueller, Melissa’s Produce Marketing Director and major authority and enthusiastic of Hatch Pepper, where with daughter Marguerite who handing out addictive hatch pepper popcorn and brittle balls!

How Hatch Chile Peppers are Like a Fine Wine –and Back Now!

August 3, 2021 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) What gives Hatch Chile Peppers its distinctive taste? Answer: hot days and cool nights in Hatch, New Mexico. The same reason for the distinctive taste of fine wines from the Central Coast of California. Melissa’s Hatch peppers harvested from fertile soil along the Rio Grande, bring about these prized Hatch peppers. Rows and rows of mild, medium, hot, and extra hot peppers thrive in the river valley.

The combination of nutrient-rich soil, intense sunlight and cool desert nights, result in this sought-after pepper with thick walls and meaty, flavorful flesh unlike any other. The weather in Hatch gives the mildly hot and savory pepper an obsessively delicious spicy and sweet flavor. When perfectly roasted the flavor pop is totally original. No wonder the peppers – and the sweet onion crop grown right before them – have developed a cult following. See more at //localfoodeater.com/an-insiders-guide-to-hatch-chili-season-starting-now/

Gelson’s will once again continue the tradition of celebrating Hatch Chile Season and some stores will offer a variation of heat levels depending on the crop.

Hatch chilies polenta you cut, braise and add to any plate with a protein and grilled summer veggies for an extra special meal

Made with in-house Hatch Pepper Powder, salt, oregano, cumin and garlic.Hatch peppers add mild to hot heat to the popcorn, as well as a flavor distinct to this pepper. The comparison is apt of as with adding a fine mustard, hatch chilies enhance and bring out flavor.

Named after the original growing area in Hatch, New Mexico, authentic Hatch Peppers are truly a Southwestern favorite. No other pepper is prized more than this variety, which grows in the Hatch Valley, just north of Las Cruces. The valley, which stretches along the Rio Grande’s southern-most bend before crossing into Texas and Mexico, is covered with row after row of these green leafy pepper plants for most of the summer.

The New Mexican restaurant notice to dedicated Hatch Chilie followers! Read about it in //localfoodeater.com/celebrates-hatch-chile-month-2018-with-panxa-cocinas-menus-roastings/

The Panxa Restaurant hatch chilies cornbread — $60 for a wow Xmas gift

The The Panxa Restaurant Hatch chilies special tasting dinner – plus pepper roastings on the week-end in Long Beach

Hatch peppers are prized because they are harvested within a short six-week season. Melissa’s delivers these full-flavored peppers to local markets, where customers may have the option of having them roasted during special events or home roasting. Many customers purchase the peppers in 25 pound batches to freeze for the year.

Chef Marco Zapien’s at Zapien’s Salsa Grill in Pico Riviera with his Hatch chilies special tasting dinner – plus pepper roastings on the week-end! Read about it at//localfoodeater.com/special-events-at-award-winning-zapiens-salsa-grill-in-pico-rivera/

Live roastings are back at a few Gelson’s stores this year: Westlake Village on August 8; Carlsbad on August 14; Valley Village in North Hollywood August 21, Long Beach August 28; NoHo on August Long Beach on 8/28. Beginning July 25, customers can order chiles by the case online and orders will be available for pick-up starting Saturday August 7.

The Gelson’s Kitchen also offers Hatch Chile Cornbread, Hatch Egg Salad, Hatch Chile/Grilled Corn/Heirloom Tomato Salad, Hatch Macaroni & Cheese, Mini Quiche Hatch Chile, Hatch Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla. New on the menu this year are Hatch Shrimp and Cheese Quesadilla are among the many offerings from the Gelson’s meat department. The quiche is absolutely phenomenal.

The Hatch Chilies Roasting Season is on!

Customers can order their chiles for any Saturday, up to the Thursday immediately prior (while supplies last) before 4pm. Pick-up will be from 10am -6pm and customers can choose a pick-up window. For more information, please visit, //gelsons.com/hatchchiles

Founded in 1951, Gelson’s currently operates 27 full-service specialty grocery stores in Southern California. Customers can find out why Life Tastes Better Here® at Gelson’s website, //gelsons.com to reserve their cases.How

Three New Must-Try “Insider” Garlic Surprises

May 22, 2021 Comments Off

Mariam Elghani delivers her Garlic Goodness directly to us!

(Gerry Furth-Sides) 1. Mariam’s Garlic Goodness. Mariam Elghani really wanted me to try her family recipe “toom.” So she cheerfully dropped off a bag on her LA delivery trip back to Bakersfield!

We loved it so much we had to share. Mariam’s Garlic Goodness, a plant-based Lebanese garlic dip, known as “toom” in Lebanese, has always been popular throughout the Mediterranean. Mariam’s is made exclusively with Gilroy, California garlic and infuses the rich flavors of raw garlic, lemon juice, natural oils and zesty spices.

The healthy dairy-free ingredients are gluten-free and keto-friendly. The list of uses for the dip is longer: it can be used as a dip for crackers or chips; as a condiment on sandwiches and wraps; as a sauce, dressing, or as a marinade to add a subtle or intense kick to fish and proteins.

Flavors include a mild Garlic, Chili Pepper and really spicy Jalepeno. It is now available at fine retailers, including Andronico’s Community Markets, Erewhon Market, Woodlands Market, Berkeley Bowl Marketplace, and more throughout California. For more information, please visit www.mariamsmediterranean.com/ or follow on Instagram and Facebook @GarlicGoodness.

Garlic Goodness was founded by Berkeley-based entrepreneur Mariam, who was inspired while growing up working in her family’s Silicon Valley restaurant, Falafel Bite Mediterranean Grill. Elghani worked with her father to perfect traditional Lebanese recipes. The turning point arrived when they started dressing wraps with their own handmade toom, customers began asking for the condiment as a side dip and it became an instant hit.

“My family’s restaurant catered events for a lot of Valley-based tech companies. When we first introduced toom, they started requesting side order containers of it for their events. Soon it became so popular, they were requesting entire trays of toom,” as Elghani recalls. “By 2018, demand became so great, I realized we could be producing more for people beyond the Valley. And now it is thrilling to know its available in stores all over the state.”

We took the **Mariam’s Garlic Goodness** to Kapoor’s restaurant for a tasting with naan.
Delicious! A spicy level for each of us!

@Table Conversation and Sri Sambangi of Clorder taste Garlic Goodness on naan

2. Black Garlic and Elephant Garlic continues our own garlic love affair with a subtle bulb that is less pungent in smell and taste than the standard garlic. //www.melissas.com/products/black-garlic It is available online at Melissa’s Produce, along with sectioned, peeled regular garlic.

Our new favorite way to use it– one becoming very fashionable it appears- is in Roasted Garlic Jam. Black or Elephant garlic makes the “jam” almost sweet rather than pungent with less of a smell, like classic garlic. We have also use it, minced with our fingers, to dot vegetable galettes. And it makes a perfect, unique and original gift in a little reusable canning jar. The recipe is below.

Melissa’s Produce Black Garlic dots adds a perfect subtle, jammy addition to veggie tarts

Roasted Garlic Jam

Ingredients:

2 large sweet onions (we used Hatch sweet onions from Melissa’s produce)
2 Tablespoons olive oil (we use a rich Spanish olive oil or grapeseed oil)
2 Tablespoons butter (we use Kerrygold unsalted)
2 heads of Black garlic, peeled and roasted
1 head of Elephant garlic, peeled and roasted
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (we used dark brown organic)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (we use rich Spanish balsamic vinegar)
1/8 teaspoon Meyer lemon (from the garden of @Table Conversation!)
Freshly ground black pepper and herbs (we sometimes use Melissa’s Produce garlic, herb grinder)

Directions

Peel the onions and slice or cut into a rough dice. Place in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.

Place in a pan. Cook for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and tender. Add the brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 15-20 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and deep golden. Cool. Place in a glass jar with lid. Refrigerate until needed. The spread can go into the freezer for about a week.

Our Melissa’s Black Garlic jam gift to our cousin, Tim. He spread it on sourdough bread with a spot of classic yellow mustard

3. The renowned Gilroy Garlic Festival Association will present its 2021 “legacy events” the weekends of July 23rd-25th and July 31 with a variety of socially distanced and virtual events designed to showcase and honor the bulb which made Gilroy famous.

The festival is wildly popular for offering up garlic in every form imaginable from savory garlic-infused batter to sweets such as garlic ice cream. Almost as important, the camaraderie and food tastings of this unique bulb make for the most friendly, fun and tasty time ever — rivaling mushrooms for the title. This year planners are working on a variety of creatively reimagined events (socially distanced, virtual, and more). Please see the website for up-to-date schedules and details. //gilroygarlicfestivalassociation.com

On the list: a series of drive-thru events at Gilroy Presbyterian Church, a Farm-to-Table dinner at Fortino’s Winery, and a Golf Tournament at Gilroy Golf Course.

A Savor a Farm-to-Table Dinner at Fortino’s Winery (located at 4525 Hecker Pass Highway) the evening of Saturday, July 24th. The feast bring farm-fresh flavors in food and wines directly to the table.

A **Savor a Farm-to-Table Dinner** at Fortino’s Winery at the 2021 **Gilroy Garlic Festival**

Drive-thru Gourmet Alley, scheduled for the weekends of July 23rd, 24th and 25th, and July 30th, 31st, and August 1st, takes place at the Gilroy Presbyterian Church, located at 6000 Miller Ave., Gilroy, CA 95020.

Gourmet Alley at the 2021 **Gilroy Garlic Festival**

A Make a Hole-in-One at the Garlic Festival Gold Tournament “for a cause” at the Garlic Festival Golf Classic, which will be held Friday, July 30th at Gilroy Golf Course, located at 9402, 2695 Hecker Pass Road.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has distributed more than $12 million to the community through its annual festivals since 1979. Their goal: to be a chain that links together residents, businesses, nonprofits, faith groups, schools, and other local institutions in a collaborative and supportive expression of “community.”

The Festival works closely with the Santa Clara County Health Department to get approval for the Gourmet Alley Drive-Thru.

GILROY GARLIC FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION, INC.
PO Box 2311
Gilroy, CA 95021

Meet the Hatch Chile “On Fire” at Market Events (Schedule Here!)

August 28, 2018 Comments Off

(Gerry Furth-Sides) HATCH CHILE is here, and only for six weeks. And they MUST be from Hatch, NM. It is the altitude in this southern New Mexican area that infuses the unique characteristic, cold at night and hot in the daytime. Like mesquite in the 80’s, New Mexican cooks have known about them for years. In fact, the Hatch Chile festival is the biggest in the world, even bigger than the Gilroy garlic festival.

Hatch Chile roasting – schedule below!

What makes them so special is that they taste and feel like the sun’s rays in New Mexico – with a little bit of the “Sangre de Cristo” (Blood of Christ” Mountain light at sundown thrown in.) The heat but tingly, well after you eat them, but not prickly at all. Perfection in both savory and sweet bites. The sweetness comes from roasting the thick skins, which peel right off. The sweet onions grown in Hatch are also sweeter, more delicate and more refined than any other on earth.

HATCH sweet onion& sausage, fennel, Melissa’s champagne grapes, chopped apricot and Roquefort salad.

This six-week season, they are as “hot” as the temperatures of the grills they are roasted in thee days. Thousands of people pile into their SUV’s or at least a car with a trunk big enough to bring 25-pound roasted bags – bags- back for the year, to the annual Labor Day roasting festival in Hatch, New Mexico attracts thousands of people to the roastings – and to the shops which feature everything “Hatch chile”. And Southern California markets are not far behind. Costco even carries the sausage so you know the item has gone mainstream.

Bristol Farms imaginative HATCH CHILE 2018 bites

Robert Schueller of Melissa’s Produce enthuses, the first few years we delivered a couple of cases day, now up to 100 cases. Melissa’s Hatch Chile cookbook remains their most popular seller.

2018 Southern California Hatch Chile Roasting Schedule