Down the Hatch
It was the 16th year of the Hatch Chile Festival at Central Market, August 17-30. We generally get excited about this spicy event that lasts over the span of two weekends. We eat lots of hatch chiles and enjoy trying out new ways to use them in recipes, but this year we lost our kick.
This flavorful celebration of all things hatch is over and we finally bought a few raw and roasted chiles on the last day. But just a few. It may seem sacrilegious to not have a freezer full of these green things, but it just wasn't in the cards for us this year.
David and I were talking about why we weren't motivated to enjoy the festivites this year, and he thinks it comes too early. And maybe he's right. Who wants to make (and eat) a green chile stew when it's 104 degrees outside? Be that as it may, we do live in San Antonio where summer lasts for nine months. But we're over it. The heat that is, and yes, perhaps hatch chiles, too.
Though, being the good gourmets that we are, we were determined to get one meal in using hatch chiles before they are gone. We invited my cousin over for a bon voyage breakfast Tuesday morning before he headed back to the city. New York City. His return was delayed two days because of Hurricane Irene, and we were happy to enjoy another meal and another hour with him.
He recently completed his Ph.D., graduated and then soared through the New York board exams with flying colors, so we did a little celebrating while we he was here last week. He ate out every single meal and we thought we best send him on the plane with a hearty Mexican breakfast.
We bought a few homemade corn tortillas from our favorite nearby taqueria and some of their amazingly decadent refried beans. I whipped up some huevos a la Mexicana but used roasted hatch chiles in lieu of the standard serrano peppers.
He was in heaven. Mexican food is his all-time favorite and he could eat it every day. So, bon voyage to cousin Philip and farewell to hatch chiles. Until next time.
Buen provecho!
Huevos a la Mexicana con Hatch
The Cowgirl Gourmet
Serves 2-3
Smart Balance, olive oil or butter
1/4 small yellow onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
3 roasted hatch chiles, peeled, destemmed and seeded, chopped
5 farm fresh eggs
Splash of milk
Shredded cheese, optional
Cilantro, chopped, optional
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Over medium high heat, place a spoonful of Smart Balance, butter or a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan. Once the oil has melted, add the onions and sprinkle with a dash of salt. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and hatch chiles, stir to combine and cook 4-5 minutes. Once everything has softened, remove the veggies from the pan and set aside.
In a bowl, crack the eggs and add a splash of milk. Whisk well to combine.
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| Farm fresh eggs with a splash of milk, salt and pepper. |
Add another spoonful of Smart Balance, butter or olive oil to the saute pan and when it's hot, add the eggs. Gently place the veggies on top of the eggs and allow to cook, stirring as needed to make scrambled eggs.
Once the eggs are starting to cook, you can add a bit of shredded cheese or not. It's up to you, but the cheese does make for a really creamy scrambled egg. If you want, now you can also add some freshly chopped cilantro.
Keep cooking and stirring the eggs until they are cooked. When they are done, taste for seasoning and sprinkle a bit of salt and add more ground pepper, if desired.
Serve immediately with a side of refried beans and homemade corn tortillas.
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