My grocery store goes all out for hatch chile season, throwing their very own Hatch Chile Fest – complete with huge roasters parked outside the front entrance. And it’s kind of a PR gal’s (or guy’s!) dream come true. You’ve got a specialty item from a specific region with limited production. Limited availability = hype.
And that, friends, is why I have 15 lbs of roasted hatch peppers in my freezer right now.
But besides being able to grab still-warm roasted hatch chiles, there is an abundance of hatch chile everything. My favorite? That hummus.
It’s my current snack obsession. And it’s far healthier than my last one, which might have been an 8-month-old box of Girl Scout Cookies. (Yeah, “might have been.”)
It comes with a bit of a price tag at $2.50 for a 10 oz container. And considering how much hummus we normally eat around here, putting $10 in hummus in a shopping cart can make a girl do a little soul-searching.
It takes minutes to whip up a large batch of hatch chile hummus for far less than open-and-inhale container from the store. But the smokey and slightly spicy dip still disappears just as fast.
Roasted Hatch Chile Hummus
Smooth, homemade hummus flavored with smokey hatch chiles.
Ingredients
- 3 15oz cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
- 4 cloves garlic
- 6 hatch chiles, roasted, seeded, and chopped (directions here) (plus more for serving, if desired)
- Juice of 3 lemons
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 6 Tbsp tahini
- 4 Tbsp olive oil (plus more for serving, if desired)
Instructions
- Place the chickpeas and garlic in the food processor and process for ~1 minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the hatch chiles one at a time through the chute with the processor running.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the lemon juice, salt, and cumin.
- With the processor running, stream in the tahini and olive oil.
- Process another minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl once, until completely smooth.
- Transfer to a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour until cold (the hummus will be loose but will firm in the fridge).
- Serve cold, topped with additional chopped hatch chiles and a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
Yields: ~4 cups of hummus
Estimated time: 1 hour 15 minutes
I haven’t seen hatch chiles much around here yet which is making me uber sad! Because I’ve wanted to make all the recipes you’ve posted. I need to start pestering my local Whole Foods veg buyer…
I’m a total sucker for the Hatch Chile Fest every year! Cannot believe I haven’t tried that hummus yet. But now I guess I can make my own at home! Thanks for sharing!
What in Heaven’s name are hatch chiles?! You make them sound like the most amazing things on Earth. A hummus beat out Girl Scout Cookies?! I am on a mission. But in the meantime, I’m going to make your hummus sans hatch chiles because I am always looking for a new hummus recipe.
Hatch chiles are roasted green Anaheim chiles from Hatch Valley, NM. They are the best of the best of the best in roasted green chile perfection. But, you can grow your own anaheims (we prefer a variety called Big Chile or Biggie Chile) or purchase them at your local grocery store and roast them yourself- google it…you don’t need a chile roaster, it can be done on the grill or by broiling them in the oven. Our local Walmart sells roasted green chile in the freezer section- you might ask about it.
Mmm… i’ve been eyeing hatch chiles on the blogosphere. Need to try some ASAP and the perfect start would be in a hummus 🙂
God bless Central Market.
Indeed.
What is this freezing of peppers you speak of? Do you roast and peel and THEN freeze?
Yes. Or you can roast, cool, freeze… then thaw, peel, and be on your way!