Reader Mail

We get bazillions of e-mails each day, and while it's a chore going through them, we do read through each and every one. A lot of you ask questions. "Christy McO", in Boston, asks

so what do you do with all those hatch chiles?

The short, smart alecky answer is "Eat them."

The longer answer is, you can put them in or on just about anything: eggs, enchiladas, queso, mashed potatoes, pastas, grits, cornbread, fajitas, burgers... You can stuff them with cheese, sausage, corn, potatoes... They're the sweet onion of the pepper family.

I'll be sure to put pictures up from whatever we make next with them.

One thing I will add is the difference between Austin and LA when it comes to green chiles. In Austin, it seems like a fad. People go to Central Market to buy three individual chiles and make a pesto out of them. In East LA, where most of the SoCal shipments come in, families buy three sacks (thats over 100 lbs) for the year. It's not just a passing thing, but a way of life.