Hatch Chile Time

The Hatch Chile Festival is going on at Central Market this month. This is technically the last week but I wanted to post some yummy recipes I've discovered using these delicious little guys! You might find yourself rushing to CM to pick up everything hatch chile (hatch chile pork, hatch chile cheese, hatch chile crab cakes, and the best...hatch chile ICE CREAM. They come in mild and hot (I'm all about the hot) but both are delicious.

Hatch Chile Verde Macaroni and Cheese

1 pound elbow macaroni

2 Tbsp butter

3/4 cup chicken broth

8 each tomatillos, husked and chopped

6 each Hatch chiles, mild or hot, seeded, stemmed, chopped

1 each med white onion, chopped

2 each garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, loosely packed

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1.5 cup half and half

2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated

1 cup White Cheddar cheese, shredded

4 ounces cream cheese, cubed

2 cups chicken breast, cooked and shredded

3/4 cup tortilla chips, crushed

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated Cook pasta until al dente. Butter 12" cast iron skillet or a casserole dish. Heat broth with tomatillos and Hatch peppers, cook for 10 minutes. Transfer to food processor, add onion, garlic,cilantro and salt. Heat oil in saucepan, add tomatillo mixture, cook and stir over med-low heat for 6 minutes. Stir in half-and-half and cheeses, toss with pasta and chicken and place in iron skillet. Mix last 4 ingredients for topping and spread over pasta mixture. Place skillet under broiler for 15 minutes until golden brown. YUM-O! And it was even better today as leftovers. I'm doing Hatch Chile Chicken tomorrow. Gotta get it in while I can. Can't wait for CM's next month's theme...Brewtopia: Beer, Brewmasters, and Beyond. Happy hatching everyone! Chile still in tact Scraped and seeded Ready to be chopped Voila!