Chilis - Stupid question

[indygal]

Hi all,

My question is, what kind of chilis are used in New Mexican green chili sause?  We like that stuff, and I want to duplicate it. I found a recipe online (not here) that seems to be the one,  but I don't know what kind of chilis to grow this year.  I want to try and can some of that suace..

DD

 

[chefbillyb]

Tomatillos, a few Jalapenos, garlic cloves, onion, cilantro and salt................simmer the tomatillos, jalp, onion until soft and tender, put into a blender, pulse a few times then add the garlic, blend the cilantro, salt to taste and desired thickness as you keep on pulsing............the amount of Jalp will determine the desired heat of the salsa................CBB..................P.S. Some people do all this in a raw state, I like it cooked.

 

[phatch]

Tomatillos, a few Jalapenos, garlic cloves, onion, cilantro and salt................simmer the tomatillos, jalp, onion until soft and tender, put into a blender, pulse a few times then add the garlic, blend the cilantro, salt to taste and desired thickness as you keep on pulsing............the amount of Jalp will determine the desired heat of the salsa................CBB..................P.S. Some people do all this in a raw state, I like it cooked.

Not jalapenos. They use a varietal of the anaheim. New Mexico Green Chiles taste somewhat different and have varying heat from anaheims depending on varietal and growing location. Generally milder than a jalapeno. You can order frozen roasted chiles which is probably the best choice for quality and flavor, but not cheap. Dried are also available but you should be able to find canned green chiles in your grocer. These are OK though the Hatch brand is generally preferable to some of the others. Nothing wrong with greenhouse anaheims either. Probably the closest you'll get short of the frozen ones.

 

[indygal]

Thank you guys!  We can grow really hot peppers here in Indiana, you don't think those chilis will grow here?

Donna

 

[phatch]

They probably would. But chilis are very susceptible to growing conditions for heat and flavor in my experience.  Generally, it's close enough, but you might be surprised if things are just right to tweak the results.

 

[kyheirloomer]

There's no reason at all that Anaheims and New Mexico chilis shouldn't do well in Indianna. Or most other chilis, for that matter.

If you're buying plants, that's fine. If you're starting your own, indoors, set seed 8-10 weeks before last frost, and transplant them two weeks later.

Phil is absolutely correct about chili reaction to growing conditions. Not only will, say, the New Mexico chilis not be the same that he grows in SLC, they might not be the same in your garden year to year.

But, for something like a green chili sauce, those differences will get lost. So don't worry about them.

 

[pete]

Worse comes to worse, you can always plant chiles as a container plant.  Had a friend, in Atlanta do that with a Habanero plant and by the second year he probably harvested over 100 chiles from that thing.  It was awesome!

 

[kyheirloomer]

The thing to understand, Pete, is that peppers are actually tropical perennials, even though most of us grow them as annuals. So, if you give them the proper care they can last two days longer than forever.

A friend of mine has one plant that has been producing for six years, for instance. During the summer it goes into his garden. The rest of the year it lives in a pot in the house.

 

[indygal]

Hi KY,

I have been trying to get rosemary to grow in the garden for a long time.  I never seem to have much luck with it, though.  I have seen other people's large rosemary bushes, could I grow it the way your friend grows peppers?   thanks

 

[kyheirloomer]

No reason I can think of not to.

Rosemary does very well in pots. In fact, the past few years there have been a number of places selling tabletop Christmas trees that are merely that; rosemary that's been trimmed to shape. Right after the holidays is a good time to find a bargain on them. Keep them in the house over the winter, then transplant.

Usually when people have trouble growing rosemary the culprit is over watering, followed by over fertilizing. Keep in mind that rosemary is native to a semi-arid environment, and that's the conditions it likes best.

 

[kokopuffs]

The chili verde in New Mexico I ate differes from that in California where I'm from.  In NM, it seemed to be made with either Anaheims or Poblanos along with some tomatillos.  Here's my recipe that's listed at the virtual Weber Bullet website for a rainbow version of Chili Verde:

http://tvwbb.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f...110183&r=2880001805&a=tpc&cdra=Y&m=9660093152

CHILI ARCO IRIS (Rainbow Chili)

Koko's own down home California Mojave Desert delight. This recipe ensures that you walk away from the table drippin'. Spiced just right.

10 pound butt all cooked and smoked (weighed prior to WSM'ming)

All of the following veggies and peppers are coarsley chopped with seeds may/may not be removed.

12 Tomatillos washed and peeled

5 chili Poblanos
9 Jalapenos
7 Habanero or Cubanelle peppers
4 Red Bell Peppers (MANDATORY MANDATORY)
4 Yellow or Orange Bell Peppers
5 White Onions

Chicken Stock
5 TBSP cumin
Garlic (aka Russian Penicillin) to your heart's desire
S&P
Chinese Parsley aka Coriander leaf



Sweat the oinions over a low temperature but don't allow the liquid to evaporate.

While they (and you) sweat with shear delight, cut up the rest of the peppers to your specifications - you may/may not retain all of the seeds!

After the onion liquid reaches maximum volume add the pork meat along with the peppers, tomatillos and seasonings to the pot. Simmer ever so slowly (slow bubble) for around 6-10 hours - like a braise. Should the liquid reduce too much, add some chicken stock to taste.

Sprinkle with some chinese parsley (aka leaf coriander).

Serve over a bed of rice and on the side add two heated flour tortillas massaged with butter and lard.

 

[kyheirloomer]

That's an interesting choice: habaneros or cubanelle. One is a blow-the-roof-out-of-your mouth chili, the other rather on the mild side. Seven cuanelle won't equal the heat of one habanero.

 

[kokopuffs]

7C = 1H, THAT has not been my experience for both are 'equally' hot on MY tongue imho.

 

[gareth]

IndyGal, If you pot rosemary it eventually (4+ years) goes quite woody. If this happens you need to transplant it as it just doesn't produce enough bright green fresh shoots for cooking any more

 

[kyheirloomer]

Kokopuffs, all I can think of is that either you are very sensitive to capcaicin, or whatever you are calling cubanelle is a different variety than the standard.   Friend Wife doesn't do heat. But she munches on cubanelles.

Using objective measurements, there is no comparison between habs and cubanelles. Heat in chilis is measured in Scoville Heat units (SHUs). Habaneros are among the hottest peppers in the world, running 300-500,000 SKUs. Cubanelles, on the other hand, are very mild chilis, running 500-1,000 SKUs. Putting the best face on it, it would take 300 cubanelles to equal the heat of one habenero.

To put this in perspective, here are the heat values for some other commonly used chilis:

Poblano: 1,000-1,500

Cayenne: 30-50,000

Jalapeno: 2,500-10,000

Serrano: 10-20,000

 

[kokopuffs]

Wrong, I have taste bud burnout due to consumption of chilis and know all about scovill units.  So sorry but the cubanells (advertised as such) tasted just as hot as the scotch bonnets I've tried.  I think I read that they're both closely related and perhaps comparison to habs is incorrect.  I'm thinking cubanelles and scotch bonnets, not habaneros. 

 

[petemccracken]

Hm, from a Food & Wine Recipe,

Cubanelles are long, sweet peppers that are usually light green (you can occasionally find red ones as well) and sometimes have a slight kick.

Maybe there is a confusion with names???

 

[kokopuffs]

Like a ditzy blonde, I'll change my tune again.  Just looked up all 3 and it's the SB's that resemble the Habs.  Monday morning cornfusion!

 

[phatch]

Once I hit about 50,000 scovilles, they all seem very similar up to about 500,000 scovilles, that higher end being in some hot sauces. Of course, at that point, I'm not really enjoying it either. My threshhold for enjoyment stops around that 50,000 mark.

 

[kyheirloomer]

Koko, Habs and SBs are so similar as to make no never mind. Essentially, Scotch Bonnet is the Jamaican name for the same chili group (essentially C. chinense). FWIW, habs and cubanelles are only distant cousins, being different speices

Phil, you're not alone in that.

What we have to keep in mind is that chili enthusiasts fall into two groups. The so-called chiliheads, who are concerned with heat per se. "It's all about the burn, man!" I am most assuredly not one of them.

The other group, among whom I'm numbered, are those who are looking, primarily, for the underlying flavors. The heat is secondary to them. All chilis have a distinct flavor profile. That's why so many great recipes (i.e., mole, the green chili recipes Kokopuffs linked to, etc.) call for a selection of chilies.

Those flavor profiles often apply to whole categories. For instance, the C. chinense tend to have a smoky, tropical fruit flavor. C. baccatums tend to be citrusy. Etc.

This is why I'm personally not a particular fan of jalapenos. To me, if you take the heat away, all that's left is a sort of green, almost grassy, flavor. So, while they do bring more heat, I much prefer Serranos when jalapenos are called for. Actually, given my druthers, I'd opt for a Sinahuisa in those cases. But that's a whole nuther story.

A real problem when it comes to cooking with Jals is that their heat spread is so great you never know what you're getting. You might prepare a dish today that is your idea of perfect. Repeat it next week and it's too hot. Or vice-versa. It's commonly believed that the more corking (the brown, web-like growth on the skin) on a jalapeno the hotter it will be. But I don't know of any tests that actually confirm that.