Saturday, August 24, 2019

Hatch Chile Season is Here! Spicy Cheesy Hatch Chile Polenta Fries Recipe

Some of the ingredients and products in this post were provided by Melissa’s Produce but the opinions expressed here are my own.

One of my favorite foods in the world is back in season, hatch chiles! Ever since my first experience with hatch chiles in 2015, I have been in love with these fabulous chiles! Capsicum annuum, commonly known as hatch chile, green chile, red chile, and Anaheim pepper, are grown in New Mexico. The Hatch Chile is only grown in the Hatch Valley and the season only lasts for a few weeks in late summer. The intense sunlight and cool nights in this region give this pepper a unique flavor that I crave. If you have ever been to a hatch chile roasting, the aroma that comes from these roasters is intoxicating to the senses. This is also why you may see people buying cases at a time keep in the freezer in order to have them at their fingertips year-round. Hatch chiles are available in mild, medium, hot, and extra hot.

Here is a video from last year’s roasting at Bristol Farms in Woodland Hills, CA. Not only do they have hatch chile roastings but they offer different hatch chile items inside the store from Melissa’s Produce products to deli case items like guacamole, salsa, and sandwiches to bakery items like cornbread and chocolate chips cookies.

Here are dates/locations of roasting happening in SoCal (click here for the full nationwide listing):

Saturday, August 24, 2019
  • Gelson's, 4520 Van Nuys Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403, (818) 377-4140, 11:00am - 3:00pm
  • Gelson's, 3305 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93105, (805) 687-5810, 11:00am - 3:00pm
  • Gelson's, 635 Foothill Blvd, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011, (818) 790-0563, 11:00am - 3:00pm
  • Gelson's, 36101 Bob Hope Dr, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270, (760) 770-0010, 11:00am - 3:00pm
  • Northgate, 2633 Santa Ana St, Southgate, CA 90280, (323) 277-3000, 7:00am - 2:00pm
  • Northgate, 4700 Inglewood Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230, (310) 390-9639, 7:00am - 2:00pm
Sunday, August 25, 2019
  • Sprouts, 878 Eastlake Pkwy, Chula Vista, CA 91914, (619) 421-2099, 9:00am - 2:00pm

Saturday, August 31, 2019
  • Bristol Farms, 606 Fair Oaks Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030
  • Bristol Farms, 810 Avocado Ave, Newport Beach, CA 92660
  • Bristol Farms, 18421 Yorba Linda Blvd, Yorba Linda, CA
  • Gelson's, 24 Monarch Bay Plaza, Dana Point, CA 92629, (949) 488-8147, 11:00am - 3:00pm
  • Gelson's, 2725 Hyperion Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027, (323) 660-0387, 11:00am - 3:00pm
  • Gelson's, 2707 Via, De La Valle Pl, Del Mar, CA 92014, (858) 481-9300, 11:00am - 3:00pm
  • Gelson's, 1736 E Avenida De Los Arboles, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362, (805) 493-4301, 11:00am - 3:00pm
  • Northgate, 11660 E Firestone Blvd, Norwalk, CA 90650, (562) 863-8203, 7:00am - 2:00pm
  • Northgate, 2030 E Lincoln Ave, Anaheim, CA 92806, (714) 507-7640, 7:00am - 2:00pm
Saturday, September 7, 2019
  • Bristol Farms, 8510 Genesee Ave, San Diego, CA 92122
  • Lazy Acres, 2510 Pacific Coast Hwy, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254
  • Lazy Acres, 422 West Washington St., San Diego, CA 92103
  • Northgate, 1305 W Whittier Blvd, La Habra, CA 90631, (562) 691-8032, 7:00am - 2:00pm
  • Northgate, 1150 E Vista Way, Vista, CA 92084, (760) 724-4900, 7:00am - 2:00pm
  • Zapien's Salsa Grill, 6702 Rosemead Blvd, Pico Rivera, Ca 90660, (562) 942-7072, 8:00am - 3:00pm
In honor this year’s harvest, I developed a recipe that focuses on the hot hatch chile. It’s spicy yet still imparts the craveable hatch chile flavor. Who doesn’t love cheese sauce?! I created a quick cheese sauce spiced up with hot hatch chile luxuriously flowing over crispy hatch chile polenta fries. WARNING - this dish is addictive so you might want to make more if you’re planning to share!

Spicy Cheesy Hatch Chile Polenta Fries by OC Food Diva
Serves 1-2
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes

½ gallon peanut oil for deep fryer
1 package Melissa’s Hatch Pepper Polenta
¼ cup white wine
1 hot hatch chile, stemmed, deveined, minced
1 tsp cornstarch
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
¼ tsp Melissa’s Ground Hot Hatch Chile

  1. Preheat deep fryer to 375°F.
  2. Cut ends off polenta package and slide out polenta. Cut the cylinder in half and cut into ¼” matchstick “fries”. Set aside until deep fryer comes to temperature.
  3. Deep fry fries for 5-7 minutes (depending on how crispy you like your fries). Remove from fryer and drain on paper towel.
  4. In a small saucepan on medium heat, combine white wine, hatch chile, and cornstarch. Once it comes to a boil, add cheddar cheese. Stir constantly until velvety texture achieved, 2-3 minutes.
  5. Place fries on plate and pour cheese sauce over fries. Garnish with cilantro and ground hatch chile.

For more information:
Melissa’s Produce

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