Hatch Chile Cornbread Waffles
It’s Hatch Chile season!
Over the years, I’ve written a lot about my favorite pepper, which is grown only in southern New Mexico’s fertile Mesilla Valley, where perfect conditions allow the chile to develop an intense earthy flavor.
Hatch Chiles are only available in August and September, so time is running out! Melissa’s Produce is roasting the chiles at select locations around the country. Click here to see if there is a roasting event near you.
I doubled down on the Hatch Chiles in this recipe for Hatch Chile Cornbread Waffles with Watermelon & Hatch Chile Salsa. This savory cornbread waffle is also a great base for meat or fish. I served it with grilled chicken for a twist on traditional Chicken and Waffles.
I wanted gluten-free Hatch Chile Cornbread Waffles, so I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour, but you can also use regular flour along with the corn meal. I also used fish sauce in the Watermelon and Hatch Chile Salsa to add some umami saltiness, but you can add salt to taste.
Hatch Chile Cornbread Waffles with Watermelon and Hatch Chile Salsa
prep: 20 minutes
cook: 30 minutes
makes 4¼ cups salsa
makes 6 waffles
for the salsa you’ll need…
2 cups watermelon diced into ½-inch pieces
1 cup chopped Hatch Chiles
1 cup chopped spring onions
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons fish sauce
let’s get to it…
Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Stir gently so you don’t break the diced watermelon. Set aside.
for the waffles you’ll need…
1¾ cup milk
1 cup chopped Hatch Chiles
2 eggs, beaten well
⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced 1½ cups gluten-free flour or regular flour
2 teaspoons gluten-free baking powder or regular baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cornmeal
let’s get to it…
Combine the milk, Hatch Chiles, beaten eggs, oil, and garlic together in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a separate bowl or onto a piece of parchment paper.
Carefully add the sifted ingredients and the corn meal to the liquid ingredients. Stir to blend, but do not over mix!
Preheat waffle iron. When hot, spray on non-stick cooking oil. Add enough batter to cover the bottom griddle of the waffle iron. Cook until golden brown.
Serve with Watermelon and Hatch Chile Salsa.
Here’s how they do the roasting:
