Melissa's Hatch Chile Chili

It's that time of year! Walk into most any Kroger in Richmond and you will find several large containers of Melissa's Produce Hatch Chiles right up front. There is a limited amount of time these chiles are available each year and that season is now! You might not be thinking about a bowl of warm chili in August but this recipe begs for the famous Hatch Chile grown in Hatch, NM — and if made in large batches it can be frozen and served as the weather gets cool, allowing you to enjoy that fresh seasonal taste through the autumn and winter.

Ingredients: (Makes 8 servings)

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1T olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped (I used yellow)
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 8 Hatch Chiles, roasted, peeled, stemmed, and chopped
• 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
• 2 packages of Melissa's Steamed Ready-to-Eat Red Kidney Beans
• 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
• 2t ground cumin
• 1 1/2t black pepper
• Salt

We have roasted peppers on the blog before — you remember the preserving sweet peppers for winter consumption, right? Basically, lay peppers on a cookie sheet and broil on high, rotating the peppers until black an charred on all sides. You can also do the same process on a grill over an open flame. Remove the peppers and place in bowl or brown bag to allow to cool and steam. You will then be able to peel the skin right off of the peppers.

Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Drain off the rendered fat; remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Add the oil to the saucepan and saute the onions and bell peppers until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chiles and browned ground beef to the pan. Add the tomato sauce, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, cumin, black pepper, and 4 cups of water to the pan. Bring the chili to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until thickened, about an hour, Season to taste with salt before serving.

I like to top my chili with sour cream, sharp cheddar, and diced green onions! This is a great one pot meal to serve during the big game on Sunday! 

This chili recipe was sourced directly from the Melissa's Hatch Chile Cookbook which is available now  at Kroger grocery stores in Richmond and Virginia Beach.

The other beautiful thing about these chiles is how well they preserve. You can roast them now and freeze them for use all winter. If you still feel August is not chili month then visit any of the 3 stores below over the upcoming weekend to pick up your chiles and have them roasted on site or bring them home!

Richmond:
Date:  Aug 30 & Aug. 31, 2013

Time: 8:00 am - 2:00 pm (both days)
Location: 7000 Tim Price Way
      North Chesterfield VA 23225

Virginia Beach:
Date:  Sept 6 & Sept 7, 2013
Time: 8:00 am - 2:00 pm (both days)
Location: 3901 Holland Drive
       Virginia Beach VA 23452

Virginia Beach:
Date:  Sept 13 & Sept  14, 2013
Time: 8:00 am - 2:00 pm (both days)
Location: 4625 Shore Drive
      Virginia Beach VA 23455

Produce and the cookbook for this recipe were supplied on behalf of Melissa's. Learn more about this produce company here and thank you for supporting the sponsors that help make E.A.T. possible.

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