I grew up in a German household and spicy food was never on the menu. My mom’s cooking was wonderful but would be considered a little on the bland side by today’s standards. If my parents were feeling a little wild and crazy they might order kung pao chicken from the local Chinese restaurant but my mother would never have considered cooking it herself. She may have had a little tin of cayenne pepper in the cupboard, but that was as far as she went.
During my ten plus years as a vendor at the Beaverton Farmers’ Market I have developed a tolerance and appreciation for spicy foods I never tried as a child. I worked my way up the heat scale with roasted peppers that I use in my favorite Mexican recipes and incorporate into casseroles and vegetables dishes of all kinds. I’ve sampled all the local varieties except the super hot ones and when I saw a large display of the famous Hatch chilies at the local market I jumped at the chance to try them. They looked innocent enough and certainly within my heat range. Big mistake.
I roasted the chilies on my grill, then peeled and seeded them. They are delicate and wouldn’t stand up to stuffing and frying, but are perfect to slice, mince, puree or use whole in Mexican dishes. I like roasted chilies on pizza and thought that this would be a great way to use what I had prepared. The heat level was high for me, but manageable (so I thought), so I was generous with the amount I used. I rolled out my favorite prepared dough, ladled on a generous amount of sauce, added the roasted chilies, sweet Italian sausage, sliced red onions, lots of mozzarella cheese and topped it all with sliced tomatoes.
Photo from The Examiner.com
W-E-L-L, let me tell you, that baby was hot! It isn’t very often that I eat something that makes me perspire and makes my eye’s run. I thought the Hatch chili was a medium heat pepper but have read that it can range from mildly spicy to over the top hot. No question about which ones made their way into our local market. Hatch chilies are wildly popular and each year Hatch, New Mexico pays tribute to them with a festival that draws fans from all over the U.S. They say their growing conditions are perfect and the chilies get their superior flavor from hot summer weather and ideal soil.
If you would like to read about Hatch chilies and the Labor Day Weekend Festival in Hatch, New Mexico you can find the info here.
This post is linked to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum, Seasonal Sunday at The Tablescaper, and On the Menu Monday at StoneGable.
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{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
This pizza looks so good! Growing up, I never ate ‘take out’ pizza with sausage on it. I don’t know what it was about it, I just didn’t think it belonged on there. But since I’ve been making my own pizza, I LOVE meat on it, especially sausage. Italian, Chorizo, you name it, I like it.
It just so happens I have italian sausage and roasted/peeled hatch peppers in my freezer to make this! Yay!
Cathy, sautee a medium chopped onion in olive oil and add 1cup of chopped hatch chiles. Sprinkle in some dried oregano and a little chopped cilantro and a hit of tobasco. Put 2-3 tablespoons on top of a strip or ribeye steak and it’s wonderful! Also good with some mushrooms sauteed in butter.
We were in New Mexico last weekend getting our yearly supply of roasted green and fresh red hatch chiles…
Joni
Love Hatch chilies! Looks fantastic on the pizza!.
Carol @ There’s Always Thyme to Cook recently posted..Wordless Wednesday: Puppy Love!
Love the look of that pizza Cathy.
Larry recently posted..Marco Island Vacation
Your pizza looks delicious, but I don’t know about the peppers. I’m not a big fan of the really hot – medium does me just fine.
I think we may have had the same mother
Everyday fare at home was, indeed, everyday fare. I’ve loved getting out of that cocoon, though, and learning more about new foods. And I learned something again today — never heard of Hatch peppers. I’m lucky to find three of four varieties at my local store!
Sprigs of Rosemary recently posted..Indian Summer Roasted Corn and Pepper Salad
Hi Cathy,
Your pizza looks so fresh and delicious. I really enjoy mild chilies, but my boys love them hot, hot , hot! I need to send them off to Hatch for sure! Thanks for a fun post.
renee recently posted..My Best Pot-Luck Ever
You know how to make a great looking pizza; sure beats take out. I am looking for a good dough. iI really have a hard time with spicy;so even if I love it my stomach reacts. What is your favorite prepared dough?
I saw you have a recipe from Jan 2010 that looks good, if I can make it in teh brad machine.
Rita
Sorry about those MISTAKES…the bread machine; always in a hurry.
Now that is my kind of pizza Cathy ~ all of the ingredients are wonderful and favourites of mine…….LOVE the photos too.
Karen
Karen @ Lavender and Lovage recently posted..Little Blog Awards at Dorset Cereals!
How did I miss that you grew up in a German household? Me, too! Mutti didn’t use much spice (except for paprika), so I had to learn to kick up the heat slowly. I’ve learned to love jalapeno, but I still tone down the scoville index with peppers. I’m so sorry this happened to you! It once happened to me with chipotles. I learned my lesson!
Foodiewife recently posted..Best Peanut Brittle
I am not a fan of heat either, I don’t get the whole heat thing anyway.. To me it is not a taste, but rather a sensation, one that I find uncomfortable! Your pizza looks really delicious though. xo
Barbara F. recently posted..Z is for
The pizza looks amazing..hot or not:)
It’s hot:)
Monique recently posted..Carrot Cake Jam~
The pizza looks great Cathy! Sorry they ended up being the HOT peppers. Sometimes I get a little carried away and think I’m a Chili Head… doesn’t take much to bring me back to reality:@)
Cathy, this is one gorgeous pizza! It looks like something you’d get at the finest pizzeria. I’d love to make this for my family with the heat toned way down
Liz recently posted..Spaghetti Carbonara~
Oh wow! Love spicy food myself. I had a Thai room mate in college, it was then that I learned to appreciate spicy food. Like you, growing-up I was never exposed.
Last year, I tried hatch chili’s-oh yes, they can be mighty hot. Your pizza looks delicious.
Velva
velva recently posted..Kentucky 95 cocktail
I think that’s a bit more spice than I could tolerate, but the pizza looks sensational just the same.
CiaochowLinda recently posted..Involtini di Maiale and A Giveaway
Never say no to a good pizza recipe.Love it;)
I LOVE spicy food – but for me, ‘spicy’ doesn’t equal ‘hot’!! If it’s too hot to actually taste the food, it’s TOO HOT!!!
Red Nomad OZ recently posted..Australia’s Scenic Public Toilets #18 – The Most Glamourous Little Outhouse in OZ! One Tree Hill, SA
Cathy, I had pizza just last week too! I would definitely love to taste some of your delicious looking pizza and feel the heat of the peppers! Yum!
Jeannie recently posted..Weekend meals
That pizza looks incredible – YUM!
Mary x
Mary recently posted..The Lovely Liebster Award and Beef Stew for a Chilly Day.
i love spicy food too, but i have never encountered a hatch chili, i’m very intrigued! the pizza looks just delicious, i love the flavors.
teresa recently posted..Chicken Enchilada Pasta
Same thing in my house, salt and pepper were the Irish condiments du jour and every du jour!
I can’t take spicy foods at all. My tummy revolts!
But your pizza looks so good!
Kathleen recently posted..Witches Flyby 2011 Pt. 2 & a Give Away!
Cathy, Your pizza looks delicious, but I might have a difficult time with the heat. Now my husband and son would love, love them. I might like just a little touch. I am now hungry for a beautiful pizza like in your picture.
Marilyn recently posted..Walk in the Garden
awesome pizza and of to read your visit to the festival
rebecca recently posted..Craft – Leaf Prints
I didnt realize that Hatch peppers could get super hot either. I just love the ones out of the can and they have such a great pepper flavor. I love the sausage and peppers on this pizza..Kind of a twist on the traditional Italian pizza with sweet peppers. This sounds wonderful!
Becki’s Whole Life recently posted..Balsamic Grilled Chicken over Roasted Vegetables and Lemon Pasta
My grocery store had a shipment of Hatch chile peppers about a month ago. I bought some, roasted them, peeled them and froze them. Now I have to use them, and I got a hot batch also. Haven’t figured out what I’ll do with them.
Judy recently posted..SEARED SCALLOPS WITH PASTA, MUSHROOMS AND SPINACH
Your pizza looks mouth-watering good, Cathy. I guess, eye-watering too, huh?
My tummy is not overly happy with really hot things, so I’d have to cut way back on those lovely Hatch chilies. They sure look good, though.
Barbara recently posted..50 Women Game Changers in Food: #19, Pim Techamuanvivit
Hmmm..mmm….. this looks like a perfect Sunday brunch for me! More cheeseeeee…..
Happy weekend.
Blessings, Kristy
kristy recently posted..Seaweed With Pesto Bread Loaf
Looks delicious, Cathy. Makes me want pizza for breakfast!
XO,
Sheila
Cathy!! This looks absolutely fabulous … anytime you need an extra person for dinner
I am always available!!! LOL!!!
I grew up in a similar household – not a lot of spicy anything. My, how times have changed. Even regular black pepper in recipes has increased. We love spicy but not so that we sweat and our eyes water
Great idea to use peppers on pizza, though!
Susan recently posted..Smacked Flat Chicken and Linguine with Broccoli Sauce
I’ve never had a Hatch chili that was over the top hot. I didn’t know they varied. This is a pizza my family would love.
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes recently posted..Moo Shu Pork
I am not a fan of over the top heat, but am a big fan of this pizza Cathy!!
bellini recently posted..Christian Delouvrier Roasted Chicken by Game Changer "Chez Pim"
The pizza looks SO good! I’ve never met a green chile (Hatch or otherwise) that I didn’t like and always find them as mild as a bell pepper. But then, I love spicy, so I’m not a good judge for the general public as to what is “hot” or not.
Karen recently posted..Bacon Hash and Broiled Eggs
This pizza looks really good! Our local Wegman’s had Hatch Chiles for a few days and I stocked up on them. They had mild ones and hot ones- I got mostly mild because like you found out, the hot ones are really HOT! I do love their flavor though, and this is the perfect way to use some of them.
Betty @ scrambled henfruit recently posted..Apple-Almond Streusel Pie
I love experimenting with different pizzas and this one looks amazing!