Types of chile peppers 1

1 info

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
Vegetarian Gourmet
Spring 1995

Directions

Poblano

~Appearance: thick-fleshed, shaped like a bell pepper with collapsed sides tapering to a point; 3" to 5" long, 2" to 3" wide near the stem; grows dark green and becomes dark red when fully matured.

~Flavor: smoke-roasted and earthy with full, green flavor.

~Firepower: tropical; a comfortable "3" on the heat scale.

~Best uses: roasted and peeled in casseroles and soups and sauces; stuffed for chiles rellenos.

Anaheim (New Mexican)

~Appearance: long, smooth and bluntly pointed with medium-thick flesh; 5" to 7" long, 1" to 2" wide; glossy green, orange-red or bright scarlet.

~Flavor: clear-cutting, sweet, earthy flavor.

~Firepower: lukewarm; ranges between "4" and "2" on the heat scale.

~Best Uses: in most Southwestern dishes including beverages, sauces, salads, stew chilies rellenos, tamales, casseroles, dressings, candies and desserts.

Note: dried crushed red New Mexican and Anaheim are commonly sold as crushed red pepper flakes; Anaheims are milder than New Mexican and are often sold whole or chopped in cans as generic "mild green chilies".

Cayenne

~Appearance: long, thin-fleshed, sharply pointed pods, either straight or curled at the tip; 6" to 10" long, 1" wide; ripens to brick red.

~Flavor: acidic and tart (also exudes smoky undertones when dried).

~Firepower: incendiary; a dangerous "8" on the heat scale.

~Best Uses: fresh in salsa or salads; dried and crushed in Creole dishes or whole in Asian stir-fry dishes.

Note: dried red cayenne is commonly ground into a spice known as cayenne pepper or processed into hot pepper sauces such as Tabasco; in world commerce, dried cayenne pods are known as Ginnie peppers.

Serrano

~Appearance: torpedo-shaped and thick-fleshed, but longer than jalape¤os; 1" to 3" long, ¬" to «" wide' grows dark green and usually ripens to red, but sometimes brown, orange or yellow.

~Flavor: pleasantly acrid flavor with clean, biting heat.

~Firepower: blazing, but less explosive than de arbol; a low "7" or high "6" on the heat scale.

~Best Uses: fresh in salsa; roasted in sauces; pickled with carrots and onions.

Pasilla (Chilaca)

~Appearance: long, cylindrical and furrowed; over 6" long, 1" wide; grows dark green; ripens to dark brown.

~Flavor: raisin-like aroma with sweet berry overtones.

~Firepower: tepid; an unobtrusive "3" on the heat scale.

~Best Uses: dried or powdered in sauces or moles such as guacamole.

Note: in California and northern Mexico, fresh and dried Poblanos are often mistakenly named Pasillas.

Submitted By DIANE LAZARUS On 02-18-95

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