It's Chile Time!!

It's Hatch chile season! There's nothing better than a dash of freshly roasted Hatch chile in soup or quesadillas or on chicken or...you name it!

When I saw Hatch chiles on sale at Sprouts for .99/pound, I decided to buy and roast my own this year.

Here's the how-to (of course, it will work with any type of chile or pepper):

1. Purchase as many chiles as you'd like. Wash well.

I had to work in batches.

2. Roast on the stove top in a heavy skillet (cast iron is great) until the skin is thoroughly blackened. You can also roast on the grill or under the broiler in the oven. Turn the chiles frequently to make sure you roast all sides.

Chiles are on the way...

3. As you take chiles off the heat, put them in a plastic bag and seal. Allow chiles to steam for 5-10 minutes.

Building up steam

4. Remove chiles from bag and remove skin. It should slip off easily. Slit open and remove seeds.

Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy!

5. Keep working until you finish roasting and peeling all of your chiles.

Why did I buy so many chiles?

6. When finished, use what you want immediately and freeze the rest. To freeze, place in a single layer in a plastic bag.

Delicious!!

Now to use my delicious roasted Hatch chiles. For starters, I'm thinking...

1. Chicken and chile quesadillas
2. Hatch chile burgers
3. Scrambled eggs and chiles
4. Crab and chile cakes

{Yum!!}