Hatch Green Chiles back at Raley's/Nob Hill - $1 lb

[rworange]

The fresh hatch peppers are back. Haven't made it over there yet. I hope next week they will be roasting peppers like last year. They were great.

Previous pepper posts

New Mexico comes to the Bay Area (2007)
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/433698

Fresh New Mexican Green Chiles at Raley's (2006)
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/323102

What to do with all those Hatch peppers

Not your usual Hatch New Mexican green chile recipes … Hatch vodka, pie, kugel, mashed potatoes, calabacitas, etc.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/434370

They are at all stores. Just putting the link below if anyone wants the website.

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Raley's
3360 San Pablo Dam Rd, El Sobrante, CA 94803

[rworange]

I was looking at what was new in Hatch chile recepies in the last year and came across this about Guindilla verde peppers from Happy Quail Farm
http://www.happyquailfarms.com/librar...

"Guindilla verde From the Basque area in Spain ... It shouldn’t be confused with the more widely available jarred guindillas. Guindilla is a name applied to several distinct regional varieties in Spain ranging from marble-size scorchers to these sweet large fryers, which are similar in flavor to a Hatch chile but without the heat."

According to the website they are currently harvesting them. They sell at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and Marin Sunday Farmers Market

I wonder how they taste side by side with a Hatchh chile.

Has anyone tried these?

[emily]

Mt. View Nob Hill has them, but no roasting this year. Anyone know of the closest place roasting them on the Peninsula? The Chronicle said that some Whole Foods will have them, but I didn't see anything on the website.

[j mather]

Walnut Creek Nob Hill has them but no roasting. I got a couple bags full, roasted a few and made my first sauce tonight. A little garlic, onion, salt and roasted peppers. Takes me back to Santa Fe. Anyone read "Gravity's Rainbow"? There's a scene where a breakfast is made from just-picked bananas. Banana waffles, banana muffins, bananas Foster, dacquiris, etc. That's what I feel like doing when I get a batch of Hatch chiles: enchiladas, chile verde, chilaquiles, posole, fry bread, etc.

[rworange]

If you run out of ideas

Not your usual Hatch New Mexican green chile recipes … Hatch vodka, pie, kugel, mashed potatoes, calabacitas
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/434370

One recipe I came up with and liked a lot

Hatch chile and fruit compote topped with crema
http://www.chow.com/recipes/27657-hatch-chile-and-fruit-compote-topped-with-crema

I got that idea from a recipe for Hatch chile and apple pie. It IS Gravenstein apple season too. It seems like a happy marriage of two parts of the country.

My own take of Hatch green chile stew ... if you add Mi Tierra's smoked onions to it .. favulous
http://www.chow.com/recipes/27658-hat...

[rabaja]

Called the Nob Hill store in Napa today.
They have "mild" Hatch green chiles for $1.49/#
No roasting going on at this location.

Nob Hill Grocery on Trancas
707 224 8583

[rworange]

I wonder if the fancy new-ish Raley's in Petaluma will be roasting. Ruth only received a reply for her area.

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Raley's
157 N Mcdowell Blvd, Petaluma, CA

[rabaja]

Just called, they have both mild and hot for #1.49/# fresh and will be roasting them every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Not sure what the roasted price is.

Much closer to me, thanks for the idea.

Raley's Petaluma
707 766 6700

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Raley's
157 N Mcdowell Blvd, Petaluma, CA

[...tm...]

I got some roasted chiles from the Alemeda location last Sunday. It looks like the roasted peppers were 1.37 per pound, while the fresh were 1.49. The roasting is definitely a good deal. All three pounds I got were very evenly roasted and I could pull the skins right off. I wouldn't say they were mild--I don't know what the usual expected heat level is, but these were about what I expected. Certainly hotter than supermarket anaheims, about poblano level.

[Ruth Lafler]

At Alameda today they were still roasting the peppers people ordered yesterday. I left an order and he said they's call when they're ready. He also said they'd be there next weekend, probably starting on Friday as well as Saturday and Sunday.

[jillyju]

Ruth, I saw your name on the list when I went to pick up mine today. It's a bit chaotic there--though they are taking names, it also appears that many folks are getting theirs by being excessively "assertive" and sort of jumping the line. I ordered mine yesterday morning, and when I went by today at 3pm, I was 2 people away from having mine roasted. I then waited 2 hours to get mine, because of variety of sort of chaotic issues. The manager said they were quite surprised by the response, claiming that it wasn't this way at all in years past. Folks waiting in line begged to differ with him.

On to the important issue--how are the chiles? I got a box of the mediums and had a fantastic first dinner tonight of cheese enchiladas with a chile verde sauce. I sort of eschewed the traditional flat enchilada approach preferred in New Mexico, and rolled them according to my own preference. But the recipe I used to make the sauce was very basic, just onion, garlic, one tomato, chicken broth, and plenty of chiles. Fantastic. A little bit of heat, and a really satisfying flavor.

Thanks to all you CH'ers for convincing me that this was a worthwhile endeavor. I lived in Santa Fe many years ago, and this was a little blast from my past.

[tomatoaday]

A bit chaotic is an understatement. I thought they were both woefully underprepared and clueless about how to fix it. I went on Sunday at 12:30 and since they were already so out in the weeds, put in an order and was told to return at 3:30. When I came back, the guy flipped through his entire booklet before even asking my name and then informed me that I could pick them up next week. Since I had already made 2 trips, I was unwilling to trust them for next week. I bought some mediums, took them home and roasted them myself. I told the manager inside that if they did this next year, they needed to rethink who they put out there, how orders were filled and how much staff was needed to support the stand. I don't blame the guy (well, not totally) because he was just thrown out there with no support and probably did the best he could. Unfortunately, it was nowhere near what it should have been. Very disappointing effort.

[rworange]

The power of Chowhound?

Raley's had zilch in their circular this week. It wasn't on their Facebook page and a customer only mentioned it on twitter today.

The year I bought mine, it wasn't as chaotic, but still a bit disorganized. San Pablo never did really learn how to use the pepper roaster and just gave up. I'm not sure if the roaster broke or the staff was clueless.

The Vallejo store had it more together. They had the refrigerated case inside with plastic containers of roasted Hatch chiles and were roasting outside. They were also giving out samples. IIRC, some were on top of chream cheese

I think Raley continues to underestimate the popularity of these.

[Ruth Lafler]

I never did get a call from them. Since I only live a couple of blocks away I'll follow-up.

[...tm...]

It looks like I lucked out getting my chiles early in the season. There was no line at they guy roasting outside, and he was very helpful, even insisting on giving me the promotional New Mexico recipe cards they had, and as I mentioned they were all well roasted with peels slipping completely off. However, during the rest of my excursion at the Alameda Nob HIll, I couldn't help but notice what seemed like a deliberate slowness on the part of the other employees at the checkout/bagging and the in-store Peet's coffee, where one employee left the other overwhelmed lone employee to a huge line to go on break and eat his giant cup o' noodles. It seems like with the demand they could roast most weekdays and refrigerate the roasted peppers and still roast on weekends for aroma advertising. They peel better once fully cooled anyway.

[rabaja]

Hoping to get some Hatch green chiles again next month. Has anyone seen them yet?
I know it's a little early...will they be even later this year, like all of the rest of the produce coming in this summer?

[rworange]

You might ask your manager at Raley's ... and let us know. Those ads get planned a few weeks out so they should know when the hatch chiles will be here. If you ask, see if they plan to roast any this year.

[wolfe]

It's apparently time, just a question of shipping.
http://www.hatch-chile.com/

[Ruth Lafler]

I just emailed them to ask if they were going to have chile roasting. Hope I get a response!

[smallbrain]

please do - i'm dying to know!

[cakebaker]

I asked the Alameda mgr yesterday and his response was "The season is late this year...we're getting them and roasting them but not sure when yet."

[rabaja]

Thanks for the update. Just noticed a Nob Hill up here in Napa so I will be calling them soon for an update. Will report back.

[Ruth Lafler]

Here's the response I got from Raley's HQ:

August 18, 2010

Ms. Ruth Lafler
[e-mail]

Dear Ms. Lafler,

Thank you for contacting Nob Hill with your inquiry.

We are estimating our first chilies to arrive on August 21st and the ad breaking August 25th. Of course, that is if the growing region does not have any adverse weather that could delay harvest. The following stores in your are will be roasting Hatch chiles. Please contact the store directly to find out what days they will be roasting:

Nob Hill #629 - 130 Market Place, San Ramon, CA 94583 [phone]
Nob Hill #632 - 2531 Blanding Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501 [phone]

Thank you, again, for caring enough to inquire and as always, thank you for your patronage.

Sincerely,

Erika
Consumer Affairs Coordinator

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Raley's
157 N Mcdowell Blvd, Petaluma, CA

[tomatoaday]

Ruth,
Thanks for the confirmation that this will happen again this year. If you find out the day for Alameda, would you post it please?.

[Ruth Lafler]

Will do. If I had to guess, I'd say if the ad is coming out Aug. 25 that the roasting will be that weekend (August 28-29).

[cakebaker]

I just saw "New Mexico chilies" at Nobhill in Alameda. they are $1.49 lb and the checker said they would be roasting them Sunday..didn't know the times. The sign this year doesn't say Hatch as it has in years past and he didn't know what heat level they were but thought they were all mild which makes sense so early in the season.

[tomatoaday]

Excellent, thanks for the news. I was hoping it wouldn't be Saturday as I will be at a bbq event in Clear Lake so delighted it is Sunday.

[smallbrain]

Just called the Alameda Nob Hill -

They've got the raw in now, and will be roasting them on the 28th and 29th between 12pm and 4pm, probably the following weekend as well, and the lady said they'd try to do thursday as well, but needed to get permission.

thanks everybody!
steve

[tomatoaday]

Thanks. I called also just to confirm Sunday. The ads that arrived yesterday had the chili's listed at .87 a pound - maybe the sale price will extend to the roasted ones as well.

[rworange]

I hope this year's ad advertises the roasting. Last year they were very low key about it and it is a vicious cycle. They don't advertise, no one know, no one goes for the roasted chiles (unless you are lucky enought to be there are the right time). Raley's thinks it is unpopular and does less the next year.

One thing I would advise is to go sooner than later. They were a little wonky about the roasting and one day they promised just didin't happen.

Anyone in Vallejo, one year that store roasted them. I don't know if that will be the case this year.

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Raley's
157 N Mcdowell Blvd, Petaluma, CA

[rabaja]

I picked some up at the Alameda Nob Hill Foods yesterday after the flea market.
Got a case of Hot for $16. They said a case is about 29 #, so I assumed I got a great case discount price, as the cashier called to get the right code, but now I'm thinking that price may be a mistake...woops.
Anyway, they look great and I am happy to have them again, it's been a long time since I visited New Mexico. Thanks to both of you for mentioning where they are available.
Now I better get roasting.

[Ruth Lafler]

I saw them at the Alameda Nob Hill today. It looked like they had hot, medium and mild, but it's really hard to tell what you're getting. Get them straight from the marked box if you can.