Ingredient of the Week: Hatch Chilies

Although hatch chilies are not native to North America, chef Tom Douglas says people are now growing them “all over. Apparently they roast really well.”

Hatch chilies have a good meat, and depending on the chili, the flavor can vary dramatically.

Tom recommends making fresh corn tortillas and using the chilies to spice up your Mexican food.

“It’s a little time-consuming, but it’s a great time to gather people around the table and have a little tortilla bee,” Tom says. “There’s a little technique to making them the right texture and a little technique to get them off the plastic wrap,” but generally, he says, they’re pretty easy to make.

If you’re not looking to make a salsa out of your chilies, Tom recommends making a fresh corn crepe. “Take a regular crepe batter and let’s shave fresh corn into it, and some chopped chilies and some cilantro, and some green onions and make kind of a chunky crepe,” he says.

Then, pan-fry the crepe in butter, and fill it with “fresh Mexican cheese, some avocados, some roasted hatch chilies, and finish it with dry ancho chilies.”

Whole Foods Markets are a proud sponsor of Seattle Kitchen’s Ingredient of the Week.