On Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:34:35 -0700, Mark Thorson <[email hidden]>
Quoted message said:I hadn't thought about roasting and skinning them.
I tried them for the first time a few days ago.
There was a big display of them on sale, $0.79/lb.
I bought three. I wasn't impressed. They're
like an Anaheim, except thicker and hotter
but still quite mild.
The chowhound article is obviously written for
people who don't eat many hot chilis. For those
people, a Hatch might seem hot. I'm not one of
those people. I prefer more interesting peppers.
You might have gotten a mild batch. Trust me, the hot ones are HOT. I
am living in NM now, and there are all ranges of heat in these things.
When I go to a market selling them, they are in piles marked as to the
heat level. And they all look the same. And here in NM, sometimes
they are marked by the variety name as well.
Plus, a Hatch chile is not all about the heat. It is about the flavor,
which is different than regular anaheims. I am thinking that it might
have to do with the land in Hatch, that produces that flavor. Put a
regular Anaheim side by side with a Hatch grown chile, and taste the
difference. And no, I can't describe the difference or the flavor
that makes it a Hatch. After a while, you get to know how to spot a
Hatch grown chile.
Christine