Heavenly Hatch Chile Stew

I love the changing of the seasons, and no season comes soon enough for me, especially when it's August turning into September. As a kid it always meant school, which had it's good/bad points but generally was a very social/fun time for me, as an adult it means back-to-school traffic and hatch chile peppers! Hatch chiles are a long-standing favorite of mine (see Hatch Week 09), the aroma of the roasting peppers outside our local HEB Grocery store is overwhelming to me, it puts me into a dazed state of mind whereby I somehow end up leaving the store with far more chiles than one person could reasonably need...ok well one normal person, I on the other hand find many a use for these delicious green beauties!

This year I'll kick off my hatch-loving festivities with a delicious 'stew' - I'm not sure stew is the right word for it but hey, stew it is.

Poblano & Hatch Chile Stew
From Farm to Fork, Emeril Lagasse

6 Poblano Chiles
4 Hatch Chiles
3 Tbsp Canola Oil
1 Cup Chopped Red Bell Peppers
1 Cup Chopped Onions
1 Clove Garlic, Minced
3 Qts, Cold Water, Chicken Stock or Canned Chicken Broth
2 Cups Cubed Peeled Potatoes
2 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Bay Leaf
1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Sour Cream for garnishing

1. Roast the peppers over an open flame, once they are charred, place inside a plastic grocery bag and let sit for 15 minutes (steam will help the skins come off), peel the skins off and de-seed the peppers.
2. Coarsely chop the peppers. You should have about 2 Cups chopped roasted poblano chiles and 1 cup chopped roasted hatch chiles. Set them aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and when it is hot, add the onions, and garlic. Saute until the onions are golden brown, after about 4 minutes. Add the water, potatoes, salt and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes.
4. Add the chopped roasted chiles and cook for another 20 minutes.
5. Stir in the cilantro. Ladle the stew into individual serving bowls and top with sour cream.

New Job, New Blog and New Homeowner??

Times they are a changing for me...mid-July I started down a course of making a job change and am happy to say that as of August I am employed with a new tech company here in Austin. I was not originally in start-up land, starting my career out of college in big (massive) companies but now that I'm here I have no plans to leave. The last job I held as well as my current position are with start-up companies, the creativity, collective intellect and hardworking folks that fill these companies inspire and challenge me with the new place being no exception.

Around the same time I signed on with the new gig I received a note from the company that manages the house I rent offering that the investor was looking to sell the home, so while I began the transition to a new job I also began investigating home-ownership...a little bit of life change? Yep! This process is a little more involved than the job change but over the next few months I'll see how it plays out, maybe becoming a permanent resident of my current abode.

Now, for the last bit of news...well it's news for me :) My Mom, Texas-to-Mexico, who has been integral to my culinary education (as well as a driving force forcing me to blog!) and I have joined forces to undertake a new endeavor, a joint blog exploring the best of the fresh, delicious treats available in our beloved Texas. Our intent is to use the new blog, Fresh from the Heart of Texas, to share the results of our wandering, market exploration and just general love of the fresh and amazing items available here in Tejas! Please stop by and take a look!