Hatch peppers

Hatch peppers are grown near the small town of Hatch, New Mexico. The Hatch Chili Festival is an annual event on Labor Day weekend that attracts upwards of 30,000 chili lovers. This farming community is known world-wide for raising excellent chilies.  For just a few weeks, we can buy them fresh at some Seattle grocery stores for about $2 a pound.  They're worth every penny, not to mention the work it is to prepare them.

Hatch, New Mexico

Unlike green and red bell peppers, chili peppers have a tough, papery skin that can't be peeled off easily.  They first need to be charred under the broiler or out on the grill.

The grill works great-- and keeps most of the black mess outside.

The hot charred peppers are covered with a cloth to steam.

After they cool, the fun job of scraping skin begins.  The seeds and the stem ends are thrown away. 

And you finally have a nice pile of recipe-ready chilies.

I cooked some onions until soft, and then added the sliced chilies and fresh tomatoes.

Back to the grill with some thin-sliced marinated steak...

Open a can of pinto beans, and you have a once-a-year and very delicious southwest supper.