Hatch Chile Extravaganza: Hatch Pork Chops with Hatch & Avocado Puree

The mind is a most wondrous thing. Unfortunately, mine has been terribly addled by my crippling sugar addiction, making this attempt to write about a meal Kevin, Nancy and I made well over a month ago (we'll just call September a wash blog-wise and blame it on a case of writer's meat block) quite the challenge. Now that I've properly hyped it, here is the conclusion of our Hatch Chile Extravaganza, the only entree strong enough to stand up to the delectableness of Hatch Chile Mac & Cheese- Hatch Pork Chops served on top of a hatch and avocado puree.

Hatch Pork Chops with Hatch & Avocado Puree
Adapted from Central Market
Servings: 4
Time: 60 minutes

We looked at this pic for 5 minutes to try to remember what we put in the marinade.

Pork Chops
4 Pork Chops (we used pork ribeyes)
Roasted hatch chiles
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Red Chili Flakes
Garlic

Puree
5 hatch chiles, roasted, skinned and stemmed
1 small avocado, peeled and pitted
1 tsp honey
Juice of one lime
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

1. Mix the hatch chiles, olive oil, salt, pepper, red chili flakes and garlic together in a food processor and blend well.
2. Marinade the pork chops in the hatch chile mix for at least half an hour.
3. Grill the pork chops for ~8 minutes per side.
4. Combine the remaining hatch chiles, avocado, honey, lime juice, vegetable oil, salt and pepper in a blender and puree well. 
5. Attempt to make a fancy streak of puree on the plate, then give up after realizing the avocado is prohibiting this.
6. Lay your grilled pork chops on top of the puree.
7. Make sure each bite is complimented by the awesome hatch chile and avocado hybrid.

It looks like guac, so you know it has to be good.

Chiles plus avocado can only lead to glorious things, and this was certainly the case with our main course. The pork chop themselves were hearty Texas-sized chunks of porkulation with a nice hit of flavor from the hatch chiles and a gentle kick from the red chili flakes. What was a good chunk of meat was turned into something memorable as soon as it was perched atop the hatch puree. Our puree essentially acted like a guacamole that was slightly sweetened by the honey that provided extra moisture and flavor to our chops compliments of the fantastic roasted hatch chiles. It worked so well, that I could see it going on plenty of different meat options (or tortilla chips). Together with our mac & cheese, we had a fancy meal worthy of fine dining to liven up our footballless Monday night (yup, it was that long ago that the season hadn't started yet). Fear not loyal readers, there's plenty more to come from my September of adventures including not one, not two, not three but four down home recipes from my episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with my mom and some bacon loaded pizza from California.

The finished meal. Nancy's green beans rounded things out and kept up the color theme.

Good bye, roasted hatch chiles. We'll see you next year (when you can finally use this recipe!).

The Hatch Chile Extravaganza: Hatch Mac & Cheese

August is hatch chile season. After being constantly bombarded by billboards and ads extolling the virtues of the hatch chile, Kevin, Nancy and I decided to see what the fuss was all about with a fancy hatch chile packed dinner. Our main course consisted of a hatch chile marinated pork chop served on top of a special hatch puree, but the real fun was in our side dish,  the staple of any healthy adult diet- MAC & CHEESE! Could the hatch chiles (along with Ron Swanson-esque levels of bacon) liven up our mac & cheese to new levels of awesome?

Well, hatch chiles, you don't look particularly different from normal chiles, but how do you taste?

First, let's talk about the hatch chile. It's a fairly mild chile (although roasting them will pump up the spiciness) that tastes like a mix between an anaheim green chile and a poblano. If you want to liven up the flavor of a meal without knocking yourself out with heat, hatch chiles are the way to go.

Hatch Mac & Cheese

Adapted from Jamie Oliver
Servings: About a week's worth of liberal eating
Time: 60 minutes

Kevin's crust comes together.

All of the bacon you have
4 tbsp butter
3 heaped tbsp flour
1/2 large onion, diced
10 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 liter milk
750 g dried macaroni or shells
Cherry tomatoes
6-10 hatch chiles, diced
250 g grated cheddar cheese
100 g grated parmesan cheese, plus more for crust
Salt and pepper to taste
Several sprigs of thyme, leave picked
Several splashes of Worcestershire sauce
Panko bread crumbs
Cayenne pepper 

Bacon: The world's most versatile meat adds both flavor and color (and clogs your arteries for free!).

1. Preheat your oven to 425 F.
2. Fry your bacon in a pan and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in an ovenproof pot or cast iron Dutch oven over low heat (the ovenproof part isn't necessary but it will save you from transferring it later). Mix in the flour and ramp it up to medium heat. Stir constantly until an aromatic roux forms (about 10-15 minutes).
4. Cook your garlic and onions in the roux until they start to caramelize and get sticky.
5. Drop in the bay leaves. Then slowly whisk in the milk.
6. Bring the mixture to a boil and let simmer to thicken. Stir occasionally to disrupt a milk skin from forming.
7. Cook your pasta in salted water as instructed by the package. Once finished, drain and toss in with your sauce.
8. Add the bacon, tomatoes, thyme, and hatch chiles. 
9. Stir the cheese in until evenly distributed then season with salt, pepper and a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce.
10. Transfer your mac and cheese to the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes. With about 10 minutes to go, top with a mixture of Panko bread crumbs, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Continue baking until the top is golden brown.

Mmm, crusty. Can you spot the bay leaf?

Ok, you've probably noticed by now that this is actually shells & cheese and not mac & cheese, but you can't tell me that you didn't think Velvetta Shells & Cheese was the greatest thing ever as a kid. We decided to save the macaroni for sweet art projects (and killer friendship necklaces) that Nancy will help sneak into the CAMH.

I like to think of it as mac & cheese mole people living under the seedy underbelly of the earth's "crust".

Personally, I thought the mac & cheese (Is it possible to actually write out "and" there? It just seems so wrong.) was the highlight of the meal. The hatch chiles infused it with their unique flavor, while the bacon infused it with its patented bacony awesomeness. The tomatoes provided some juicy bites, and the crust gave everything some texture. Plus, everything is surrounded by fantastic, gooey melted cheese, which is always a positive contribution to life. My only complaint is that it was a little dry. I think I overdid it on the amount of pasta, so you could either back off on some of the pasta, add more milk or completely drench everything in cheese to make up for this. Our interest in the hatch chile had definitely been piqued after our first few bites of the mac & cheese, and we were ready to dig in to the juicy pork chop that accompanied it. 

Dennis' food modeling career stays red hot. If you'd like to book him for your next big food gig, please contact me in the comments.

The meal continues with our hatch chile marinated pork tenderloin perched atop a delectable hatch and avocado puree.