It's Hatch Time people!!

I thought it was appropriate to start out my new blog with the most glorious time in a home cooks year...well at least it should be in my option..... Hatch Festival!!!  Once a year New Mexico brings us the best tasting green peppers and this year has been no exception! Michael and I went all out and bought a 1/2 case of the hot...and boy are they HOT this year! Here is a recipe I made up this evening ......

Hatch Crusted Pork Chops 

ingredients:

4 bone in pork chops, fat trimmed

1 cup chopped hatch chili peppers (seeds and steams removed)

2 eggs

3 garlic cloves

1 cup Italian bread crumbs

Directions: 

puree your chili's in a food processor, in a small bowl whisk eggs together, then add eggs and garlic cloves into food processor and puree until well blended. This mixture is you "wash" though much thicker than a normal wash, still gets the job done.  place your hatch wash in one bowl and bread crumbs in another. submerse pork chop on both sides and dip both sides in bread crumbs.

Heat a skillet on the oven with a small amount of olive oil or you can use the olive oil spray (I used a combo of the 2 to cut on the calories but still get a nice brown crust) cook pork chops 2 mins on each side) then place on a rack in the oven.  ( I line a cookie sheet with foil and place a cooling rack on top, this keeps the pork chops elevated so they don't get soggy on one side) and bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 mins.  

side note:

your crust will still be a bit soft because of the thickness of the wash, but I had to fight husband off of my left over pork chop so I could take it for lunch the next day