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Celebrate Hatch Chile Season with Hatch Chile Cornbread

Hatch chile peppers –  those fleshy, flavorful peppers that are most prized among chile connoisseurs – are back in season. While the season itself is short, now’s the time to start watching for Hatch chile products and events in your local grocery stores. And if you manage to get your hands on some, you’re definitely going to want to make this cornbread, which we’ll get to in a minute.

Hatch chile peppers

What Makes Hatch Chiles Special?

Hatch chiles are grown in the Hatch Valley, just north of Las Cruces in New Mexico. What makes them unique (only chiles grown in this valley are allowed to carry this name) is that the climate there reaches high daytime temperatures and extremely low nighttime temperatures, resulting in a uniquely flavored pepper that’s easily identifiable to any chile lover. They are prized for their unusually thick flesh, which makes them great for chiles rellenos as well as many other chile dishes. You can add them to sandwiches, soups, salsas, salads, dips, and more.

Hatch chile roasting

Watch the Hatch chiles dance as they tumble around in the roaster

Roasting Hatch Chiles

Hatch chiles come in a variety of heat levels, and you can buy them fresh, roasted, dried, or in powder form. If you start with fresh Hatch chiles, you’ll want to roast them either on an open flame or under the broiler, rotating every two minutes or so, for a total of about 8 minutes. After that you’ll need to let them steam, either in a paper or plastic bag, or in a large pot with a lid. To prepare them, wear gloves (!) and gently peel off the charred skin, stem, and inner seeds and veins. You should be left with the perfectly roasted meaty flesh of this tasty pepper.

Hatch chiles

Roasted peppers are left to steam and cool off in a plastic bag until they are ready to peel.

If you want to be a part of the fun, consider stopping by a local Hatch chile roasting event (this link will take you to all of the 2019 roastings across the country). At these popular events, usually held at supermarkets, you can watch the chiles get roasted in a giant industrial roaster, and you can sample and purchase your own chiles, plus a variety of chile-related products.

Hatch Chile Cornbread Recipe

Hatch chile cornbread

Now… on to the eatin’… When we took a look through the Melissa’s Hatch Chile Cookbook, the one recipe that the kids immediately latched on to was Hatch Chile Cornbread. This cornbread is sweet, smoky, and just slightly spicy – and it has the perfect amount of “heft” to pair with just about any main course.

Hatch Chile Cornbread

A sweet and smoky, slightly spicy cornbread that has enough "heft" to pair with just about any main dish.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 9 servings
Author Sharon Hernandez and Ida Rodriguez, from Melissa's Hatch Chile Cookbook

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil or cooking spray
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup cornmeal
  • 3 T. granulated sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup roasted peeled, stemmed, seeded, and chopped Hatch chiles

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a square 9"x9"x1.5" or 8"x8"x2" baking pan.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and oil. Add the egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir until just moistened (do not overmix). Fold in the cheese and the chiles. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  3. Let the cornbread cool slightly before cutting it into wedges or squares. Serve warm.

 

 

hatch chile cornbread

It’s so tasty and perfectly spiced. You’ll want to eat it fresh and warm out of the oven, but it also makes great leftovers (cornbread for breakfast, anyone?)

More Hatch Chile Ideas

The possibilities continue… At various tasting events we’ve also tried Hatch chile salsa, BBQ ribs, chicken fajitas, tortillas, potato salad, guacamole, mac and cheese, chocolate chip cookies (yes, cookies!) and more. It seems that you can add Hatch chiles to just about anything and enjoy that spicy smoky flavor. (One recipe from Melissa’s Hatch Chile Cookbook actually calls for ginger ale with Hatch chile ice cubes.)

For a few more ideas from Jolly Tomato, see Hatch Chile-Coriander Popcorn, or “Hatched” Potatoes with Hatch Chiles.

Extra bonus: This year Melissa’s has all sorts of new Hatch chile products, including tasty new additions such as Hatch pepper polenta. If you’re new to these iconic peppers, find your way to the nearest roasting and try as many dishes as you can.

Blogger disclosure: Melissa’s gave me Hatch chile products to sample. I purchased the rest of the products on my own. I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

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4 Responses to Celebrate Hatch Chile Season with Hatch Chile Cornbread

  1. Julie Lodico August 28, 2019 at 8:45 am #

    Would like to add a little corn [canned] to this recipe. Any suggestions?

    • Jeanne August 28, 2019 at 12:07 pm #

      Sounds like a great addition! Sure, just drain the corn and stir it in. If the corn is excessively liquid-y, decrease the oil or butter by a tablespoon or so. Thanks for stopping by!

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