Hatch Chile Obsessed: Hatch Chile Arancini

Every month or so, the Austin Food Bloggers get together for a potluck. I love catching up with the other bloggers and tasting their creations, but I get a little freaked out about what to make. After all, these people can cook. Oh the pressure.

This month, our potluck had a Hatch Chile theme and I immediately thought of risotto, but couldn't figure out how to make and transport it without it becoming gummy; this simply would not do. Then, I went to the Hatch Chile Fest at Central Market and they had risotto cakes. Genius, but I wanted to do something a little different (couldn't have the bloggers think I bought my dish at Central Market after all). A friend suggested arancini, fried risotto balls with a cheese filling.

I decided on a Hatch chile risotto with a Hatch chile cheese filling. Central Market has a great Hatch chile jack cheese that would provide the perfect amount of heat and melt beautifully; a gooey center being key to good arancini.

Now, I know Hatch Chiles aren't locally grown, but you can buy them at local farmers markets for the next few weeks. I consider them a rare and special treat to be enjoyed while available. If you are a true locavore, you might take issue with this and could substitute with another type of pepper. You could also substitute the cheese with a more traditional mozzarella or fontina cheese.

I had never made arancini before and found the process to be easier than I thought, if somewhat time intensive as there are several stages to be carried out. I roasted and peeled peppers on Friday evening, made the risotto on Saturday and assembled and fried the arancini on Sunday. You could pull it all off in one day, but you would need to start early.

Despite being fried, the arancini came out light with a deliciously melted cheesy center. The

Hatch chiles added great flavor, but I used mild chiles so there was not much heat. Had I been making the dish to serve at home, I probably would have used hot chiles or a combination of the two in the risotto as I like a little heat in my food.

Hatch Chile Arancini

6 cups of broth (vegetable or chicken)

3 tbsps butter

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 3/4 cup arborio rice

about 12 hatch chiles, roasted, peeled and diced

1/2 cup grated Parmesan
4 Tbsp heavy cream
2 Tbsp minced fresh chives and flat-leaf parsley (could also use oregano or basil)
1 large egg yolk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
8 oz Hatch Chile jack cheese (could also use mozzarella or Fontina cheese)

2 large eggs whisked

2 cups fresh bread crumbs
Vegetable oil for deep-frying

To roast and peel the peppers:

Place hatch chiles under broiler or on the grill until they begin to blacken on one side. Turn the chiles until blackened on the other side. Remove the chiles and place in a plastic bag (I use a plastic shopping bag). Tie the top and let the chiles "sweat" in the bag.

Once the chiles are cool enough to handle, remove the tops, seeds and peel the chiles. If you have sensitive skin or wear contact lenses, you might consider wearing gloves to do this. Try to remove the seeds without rinsing the chiles as rinsing will remove the oils that give it flavor.

To make the risotto:

Heat the broth in a pot and leave on simmer while you make the risotto.

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the garlic and saute for a minute. Add the risotto until it is well-coated. Add the chiles and stir well into the risotto.

Scoop a cup of the broth into the risotto and stir until it is absorbed. Continue to add the broth about 1/2-3/4 cup at a time to the broth, stirring each time until it is absorbed. You want the risotto to have a creamy, but not soupy texture.

Remove the risotto from the heat and allow to cool. Place in the refrigerator to cool thoroughly for at least 3 hours.

To make the arancini:

In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, cream, herbs, and egg yolk and stir until combined. Add the mixture to the risotto and season with salt and pepper.

Cut the cheese into small cubes. Scoop up a small handful of the risotto mixture, place a cube of cheese in the center and shape to to make a croquette. Repeat to form the other croquettes. Place the croquettes on a cookie sheet covered in parchment or wax paper.

Place the egg wash and bread crumbs in separate wide-mouthed bowls. Dip the arancini in the egg wash then roll it in the bread crumbs. Chill the arancini in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Fill a tall pot or fryer with vegetable or canola oil so that it will cover the arancini; about 4-5 inches. (I used my stock pot and it worked great). Heat the oil over medium-high heat; you want it to register 375°F on a thermometer.

Deep-fry the arancini in small batches until they are evenly browned or 3-5 minutes. Don't add to many arancini to the pot at once or they will crowd and stick. Also, allow a few minutes in between batches for the oil to come back up to temperature so the arancini don't become soggy.

Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer to paper towels to drain briefly. Serve hot.

For the potluck, I had to let the arancini sit to travel so I reheated at 425 degrees for 6-7 minutes to warm them through.

Anatomy of an Effortless Picnic: 1st Wednesday Picnic in the Park

The Triangle Farmers Market on Wednesday nights has charmed me since the first time I wandered over. I went expecting just a few stalls and instead found plenty of vendors and people picnicking on the lawn, kids playing in the fountain and dancing to the band. Charming.

I immediately fell in love with the market and the sense of community and sharing it gives me every time I go. I had to find a way to share that and decided to host a picnic the 1st Wednesday of every month. Join me on Wednesday 9/2 at the Triangle Farmers Market (46th & Lamar). The market hours are 4-8 and we'll gather on the lawn around 6:30 for dinner. The great thing about this picnic, is you don't have to pack any food - just a chair or blanket and maybe some utensils, plates and napkins!

To show you how effortless it is to have an amazing spread, I've put together a photo tour of last month's meal.

Before you come, hit the ATM so you have cash for the vendors, but if you forget, don't worry, you can get market tokens at the Sustainable Food Center booth.

Next, I always do a quick tour of the booths to see what is available. After all, you have to be strategic in these choices. You never know when someone will have something new. I bought a number of veggies for meals later in the week, but it would be really easy to have a nice tomato basil salad; just make sure you bring a knife.

Now, for the tough part - narrowing down what you are going to eat that

night. You could buy a rotisserie roasted chicken (half or whole) with some delicious roasted corn. Or, you can always hit the Mediterranean Chef, as I did, for hummus, dolmas and baba ghanoush. And of course, we had to have a loaf of the rosemary ciabatta bread from Texas French Bread to scoop up the hummus. We also cut up a cucumber so we didn't eat the entire loaf of bread. (At least that's what we told ourselves.)

To finish out our savories, I stopped by Taco Deli for a delicious bison taco and then to Kala's Kuisine which I hadn't tried before. Brian convinced me that we absolutely had to have samosas with two different types of sauce. Brian, of course, was right (after all this is the man who got me addicted to rosemary ciabatta bread when he worked for Texas French Bread) and I will be buying many more samosas from Kala's.

And, no good picnic would be complete without dessert. You could be good and get fruit like the watermelon and peaches in stalls that week. (I had the peaches.) But with the heat we've been having, you might want to saunter over to Jim Jim's for a water ice. They were a big hit at the August picnic.

Now, that's an easy and great dinner. See you at the Triangle Market on Wednesday - don't forget your chair.

To Market, To Market in Brushy Creek

I have a number of friends in Northwest Austin who often tell me that they don't go to the farmers markets because they are too far away. Since I'm always looking for a way to drag them to a market, I was delighted when I heard that a market was opening up in the Brushy Creek neighborhood, out off of 620. Ha ha! Now they have no excuse.

I wandered up to the Brushy Creek Farmers Market, 16318 Great Oaks Drive, last weekend to see how it compared to other local markets. It is a smaller market, there were 7-8 vendors that weekend, but there was great variety and I was able to easily fill my shopping bag. Amy Ingram, the market organizer, said that there were typically 2-3 more vendors but they were out because of low season or summer vacations.

The market included two produce vendors with booths packed with great

choices including plenty of fruit - melons, apples, pears. I was very excited to see the Mediterranean Chef so that I could get my weekly supply of hummus. There was also a meat vendor who had goat and lamb at very reasonable prices. A number of vendors offered prepared foods including Kala's Kuisine (love the samosas) and Aunt Nita's Homestyle Foods (the jalapeno cheese dip is delicious.)

I was impressed with Christen's Gourmet Pralines. Hailing from New Orleans, Christen now offers twelve flavors of pralines for sale. She said the pralines in a decorative box have been quite popular as guest

gifts for weddings and parties. I can see these ending up in my holiday baskets this year.

If you are in NW Austin, the Brushy Creek Farmers Market is definitely worth a stop during your Saturday morning errands. The market is open 9 am to 1 pm. Who knows, with one of my dear friends moving out that way, you may even see me there more often.

See you at the market!

Hatch Chile Obsessed: Texas Sweet Onion and Hatch Chile Soup

Recently I walked into Central Market to pick up a few things (famous last words) when I froze in the produce aisle and squealed, yes, out loud, like a sorority girl. What could make me do this? Hatch Green Chiles. Woo hoo!

I adore Hatch Chiles. I buy a box, roast and freeze them almost every year. It's almost, but not quite, as exciting as the first snap of the football each year. And, I don't believe it's a coincidence that two of my favorite things occur about the same time each year. It's fall bliss.

I decided that for my first Hatch recipe this year I would play with the traditional French onion soup recipe. Maybe it's the onslaught of the Julie & Julia media or the piles of beautiful onions at the farmers markets lately, but French onion soup had been on my mind. Of course, I couldn't do something ordinary so I decided to Hatch-up the recipe.

I added Hatch green chiles to the final mix which added a nice heat to the sweet onions. With the heat, I didn't want to do a traditional crouton so I made a Monterrey Jack Tostada topper instead.

It was lip smacking good. I used hot Hatch chiles, but they were very hot so if you have a more delicate palate, use the mild chiles.

If you are curious about Hatch chiles, I highly recommend the Hatch Chile Fest at Central Market the next two weekends (8/21-8/23 and 8/28-8/30). My personal favorite is the Hatch chile burgers and the Hatch chile cheese scones. Yum...

Texas Sweet Onion and Hatch Chile Soup

1/2 cup of salted butter (do not substitute - seriously, the caramelized onions will not taste the same. Suck it up and walk an extra mile that day to work off the butter.)

4-6 sweet onions, sliced thin

4 Hatch Chiles roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped

5 cups broth (I used chicken, but you can use beef or vegetable if

you prefer)

1 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

about 2 cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese (you could also use cotija or queso fresco)

4-6 tostadas

Over low heat, melt the butter in a large stock pot. Add the onions and stir them well to coat them with butter. Cover the onions and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender.

Remove the cover from the pot. Taste the onions and salt if necessary. Raise the heat a bit and saute the onions until they turn caramel brown. Stir them often so that they do not burn. This will take about an hour.

Add the hatch chiles and stir to combine well. Add the stock and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and cook for about 20-30 minutes more. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

While the soup is cooking, preheat the broiler. When the soup is finished, ladle it in oven-proof bowls and sprinkle cheese on top. Place the soup under the broiler. While the soup is broiling, top the tostadas with cheese. When the cheese on the soup is bubbly, remove the soup from the broiler, place the tostadas under the broiler until the cheese is cooked. Remove the tostadas and top each soup bowl with its own tostada.

Enjoy, and try not to burn the rough of your mouth.

Shopping Local at Wheatsville

Wheatsville Food Co-op was the first grocery store I ever visited in Austin. I did not have a car during my freshman year in college and would wander over to Wheatsville when I needed a few things in between H-E-B visits with my roommates (who did have adequate transportation).

While I loved the idea of Wheatsville, a food co-op that actively supports local farms and food producers, I never really felt comfortable there. It felt small and cramped and my goal was always to get out quickly.

On Saturday, Wheatsville unveiled it's long awaited upgrade after many months of construction, and it was worth the wait. The expanded store is bright and open and there is enough space for two adult humans to stand in the same aisle.

I was particularly impressed with Wheatsville's attention to local vendors. As we are currently in

low growing season, I'm going to reserve judgment on the limited number of local produce items (there were 3-4 local growers represented that day). I'm assuming that as our growing season

improves, so will the local choices at the store. Because of the attention they have paid to highlighting local products in other sections, I'm guessing they haven't overlooked the produce.

It was easy to find local products throughout the store. The "Locally Made"Texas tag is easy to find on the shelves of the packaged goods and there is an entire cold case of locally raised meats. I was delighted to see the selection of Thunderheart Bison, Richardson Farms beef and pork and Bastrop Cattle Company selections.

The seafood department also highlighted which selections were

sustainable which takes out the mystery of what has become a precarious task - picking seafood that won't raise your dining partners' eyebrows.

I still love my H-E-B and Central Market stores, but I'm very happy to have a new and improved Wheatsville in my market mix. As a matter of fact, I went back on Sunday to grab just a few things for a salad that night. Easy, organic and local - very nice.

Texas Terroir: Artisan Cheese & Craft Beer

I love cheese. The other food bloggers are horrified when I tell them I don't really like sweets, but my deep dark (not so) secret is that, while I can always pass up a cupcake any day of the week, I can never, ever pass up queso or Brie or Stilton or.... Well, you get the picture.

Needless to say, when I found out the American Cheese Society was having their annual conference in Austin, I had to find a way to go. I decided to volunteer so that I could experience the conference from behind the scenes, hopefully pick up a few tricks of the trade and, of course, score a ticket to the Festival of Cheese on Saturday evening.

I had a blast. Yes, I got up at 6 am on a Saturday. And, yes, I stood up for 10 hours washing fruit

and plating cheese, chocolate and olives. And, it was so much fun.

The highlight of the day was at the end of our shift when we got to attend and serve at the Texas Terroir panel. Some of the best cheese makers in the state (Paula Lamber from Mozzarella Company, Amelia Sweethardt from Pure Luck Dairy and Stuart Veldhuizen from Veldhuizen Farmstead Cheese) paired up with the brew masters of Real Ale Brewing (Tim Schwartz) and Live Oak Brewing (Chip McElroy) and created a magical, mildly raucous panel.

I love listening to people who are passionate about what they do discuss it in detail. They all had such great stories about their inspiration for each product. I now know what earns a cheese the farmstead label, it's made in the same place that the livestock is raised, and what spices make Montasio Festivo have that little something extra when you taste the rind. I was a little worried that there was going to be a throw down when one of the brew masters said that beer pairs better with cheese than wine, but in this case he might have been right.

My favorite cheese of the day, including what felt like hundreds of cheeses that I tasted at the Festival that evening, was Hopelessly Bleu from Pure Luck dairy. Pure Luck is such a great success story and they make fabulous cheeses. Hopelessly Bleu is a beautiful, luscious blue goat cheese that I could eat every day - although I'm sure my doctor and my cholesterol test would beg to differ. At the tasting, they paired it with the Live Oak HefeWeizen or the Real Ale ESB, but I prefered it all by itself.

I've listed all the pairings below, but I offer up one caveat. Most of the Real Ale selections aren't being bottled yet so they are only available at tap houses like the Flying Saucer, Gingerman or the Draught House Pub. You might call ahead to see what they have available. The Real ESB is the Drafthouse ESB at the Alamo Drafthouse.

So, invite over some friends and start savoring the Texas Terroir, because it is pretty darn great.

Pairing 1: Pure Luck Black Pepper Chevre with Real Ale Devil's Backbone (a Belgian-style tripel that Uncle Billy's Brew & Que was carrying, but they may already be out) or Live Oak Pilz

Pairing 2: Veldhuizen Red Neck Cheddar (it's made by pouring dark beer over the curd) with Live Oak Pilz or Real Ale E.S.B

Pairing 3: Mozzarella Company Montasio Festivo (this has ancho chile in the rind - yum!) with Real Ale Devil's Backbone or Life Oak HefeWeizen

Pairing 4: Pure Luck Hopelessly Bleu (my favorite cheese of the entire day) with Live Oak HefeWeizen or Real Ale E.S.B.

Pairing 5: Veldhuizen Paragon (great snacking cheese) with Real Ale 13th Anniversary Ale or Live Oak IPA

Pairing 6: Mozzarella Company La Cocina Caciotta (made with five chiles, cilantro and garlic - flavorful, not too spicy) with Live Oak IPA or Real Ale 13th Anniversary Ale

Simmering Summer Ratatouille

August is a challenging time to be a farmer or a farmers market devotee. The heat and the drought take their toll and you can see it at the markets - some are taking a hiatus for August, others are pared down in size (the Downtown Austin Market will be back to 4th Street only this week).

Despite the slimmer pickings, there are still great finds. As I stroll through the stands in August, one dish in particular screams out at me - Ratatouille. Eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, onions and peppers are every where. Definitely time for Ratatouille.

I had already shopped for my ingredients at the market and was watching the Next Food Network Star, when the eventual winner, Melissa D'Arabian, made Ratatouille. She had a great tip to avoid the dilemma of different cooking times for the different vegetables which she learned from her French mother-in-law. She suggested remembering the phrase EZ-POT for the order of cooking the veggies: eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onions, tomatoes. It's a great tip and an easy way to avoid having to dig out your cookbook.

Also, have fun with this dish. You can add some white wine or a hotter pepper. If you like it to have a thicker liquid, you can add tomato paste.

I made a big batch and ate off it all week. I had it with crunchy french bread for dinner, over quinoa for lunch and I even ate it cold on a sandwich one day. It is also a delicious accompaniment for chicken or fish. Lidia Bastianach makes an Sicilian version that she tops with seared tuna. I'm going to have to try that next time.

Thank goodness for the simmering days of summer.

Simmering Summer Ratatouille

2 tbsps olive oil

2 eggplants, cubed (you can peel the eggplant if you find the skin of the eggplant displeasing)

2 zucchini, cubed

2 bell peppers, chopped

1 large or 2 small onions, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

5 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

2 tbsps capers, drained

3-5 basil leaves, chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Fill a large bowl about 1/2 way with water and ice. Boil a large pot of water. Cut small x's in the bottom of the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes in the boiling water until the skin starts to bubble a little bit. Immediately place the tomatoes in the ice bath for about a minute. Remove the tomatoes from the ice bath and place in a colander in the sink until they are cool enough to handle, then peel the tomatoes.

Place eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with sea salt. Let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse the salt off the eggplant, dry the eggplant and set it aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the eggplant and let it cook for about 8-10 minutes. Add the zucchini, cook for another 8-10 minutes. Add the bell peppers and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 5-8 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and capers and cook until the liquid reduces. You can create a thicker liquid by adding tomato paste.

Remove from the heat and stir in salt, pepper, basil and thyme. Adjust seasoning as needed to taste and serve.

August First Wednesday (8/5) Picnic in the Park

What better way to beat the heat than to embrace it and have a picnic! Please join me Wednesday night, 8/5 from 6:30-8:00 pm at the Triangle Farmers Market (46th & Lamar) for a Picnic in the Park.

The market is from 4 to 8 pm so you can come early, by your goodies and then meet me on the lawn for dinner. By 6:30, the shade should be edging across the park (yea!). Bring the kids, the dog, the frisbee, a blanket, folding chair and your beverages.

You can find me by looking for this blanket or this market bag. Hope to see you Wednesday!

Floating into the New Braunfels Farmers Market

Last Friday afternoon, I wandered down to New Braunfels to hang out with my family during their annual camping/tubing trip. When I realized that I was going to miss the Austin Farmers market, I did the research to see if New Braunfels had a market, and, as luck would have it, they do.

The New Braunfels farmers market is Friday afternoon from 3-6 at 205 S. Castelle, which runs parallel to Seguin Ave, in a lot behind the Faust Hotel. When you turn onto Castelle, look for the Faust Brewery sign.

The market is small, there were about 7-8 vendors, but like the Dripping Springs market, the quality was good. I was delighted to see that Caskey Farms and Ottmers Family Farm, regulars at the Downtown Austin Farmers Market, were both there. I bought some delicious pluots from Busch farms, baskets of okra and sweet onions from the Ottmers and two loaves of bread for the crew at the river.

I was instructed to get a loaf of Jalapeno Cheese bread from Great

Harvest Bread Co, but they were out by the time I got there. I substituted with a loaf of Pepperoni Roll bread which was a lot like eating a rolled up piece of pepperoni pizza (without the grease). We cut it up and every snacked on it while we were waiting for dinner.

The other loaf of bread was a Roasted Potato and Garlic from Phoenix Rising. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was delicious and was a great complement to a steak dinner.

If you find yourself in New Braunfels on Friday afternoon, I recommend stopping by to see what treasures you can find. It'll be worth the stop.