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Title: Chile Pepper Descriptions -Pt 2
Categories: Info Spice
Yield: 1 Text file
| CHILI: |
GUAJILLO CHILIES: (Mirasol Chilies) have a vegetal flavor that shines even though the drying process. Guajillos are orange-red, skinny and about two to three inches long.
Gustoso: They look like a hab (a bonnet and a hab are the same) smell like a hab, and have an intense wonderful taste, but no heat. Try it in soups, and specially when making red beans Spanish style. - Aura A.
Gustosa: a Cuban look alike for those lantern shaped peppers that are NOT hot... They are often confused at the wholesale level and labeled poorly - Mike Stock
Habenero (Bahamian, Scotch bonnet) Appearance: short, stocky, lantern-shaped; 1" to 2«" long, 1" to 2" wide; ripen to red, yellow, orange or white; most frequently dark orange. -Flavor: distinctly floral and fruity with delayed-action nasal flame that sneaks up on you, then persists. Firepower: infernal, the hottest pepper known; a 10 on the heat scale and estimated to be 100 times hotter than jalape¤os. Best Uses: with tomatoes and tropical fruits; in fresh salsa, chutney, marinades and jerk sauces; for persistent heat in any dish.
Note: although very similar to the habanero, the Scotch bonnet pepper is usually yellow in color and slightly more bonnet-shaped than lantern-shaped.
Hungarian Cherry Appearance: fleshy and round or slightly heart-shaped; 1¬" long, 1 " wide; ripen to orange or red. Flavor: medium sweetness with bright, piquant warmth. Firepower: warm; ranges between "4" and "1" on the heat scale. Best Uses: often pickled, sliced and served with sandwiches or salads; also good when chopped fresh in salsa.
Note: especially good pungent varieties include red cherry and hot apple.
Jalape¤o Appearance: plump, blunt and bullet-shaped, sometimes with dry cracks along the thick-fleshed skin; 1" to 2" long, «" to 1" wide; shiny medium green, red or purple when ripe. Flavor: green vegetable flavor with back-or-the-throat heat. Firepower: flaming; a fiery "5" on the heat scale. Best Uses: fresh in salsa, stews, sauces, breads or dips; stuffed with cheese for a snack; as a topping for nachos. Look for jalapenos that are deep green.
JALAPENO CHILIES: range from hot to very hot. They are dark green, fat and about two to three inches long with a characteristically rounded tip. Watch out for the little ones, which are the hottest. Jalapenos ripen to red. Use them fresh or pickled.
Note: known as Chipotle Chile when smoke-dried. Dried Chipotle Chilies - Also called Ahumado, these are smoked dried jalapeno chilies that are excellent in seasoning soup and salsa.
Japones Chilies - These are small, very hot peppers grown in China and Japan. Use them in your favorite stir fry.
Mirasol (Aji) Appearance: elongated, pointed and thin-fleshed with a tough skin; 3" to 4" long, 3/4" to 1¬" wide; shiny dark red or orange. Flavor: superb tropical fruit flavor with clear, direct heat. Firepower: naughty; a respectable "5" on the heat scale. Best Uses: in sauces, stews and corn dishes; pickled with carrots and onions.
Note: the gualilo chile is a variety of the mirasol chile.
Pastilla Chilies - These mild to medium hot chilies have a rich flavor that is excellent when ground and used in sauces.
PASILLA CHILIES: are hot and brown (almost black when dried, which is how they are commonly found.) They have a dusky flavor. POBLANO: is the chili most frequently used for CHILIES RELLANOS. It is a suave dark green and ranges from mild to hot. Shaped like a long bell pepper, the poblano has a nice shape for stuffing. RED PEPPER FLAKES: are just that; flaked, dried ripe chilies. Most red pepper flake mixtures are quite hot.
SERRANO CHILIES: are a sort of middling green, developing to brilliant red when ripe. Extremely hot (as hot as any chili), this chili is usually shorter and thinner than the jalapeno.
SOURCES: Al Rice BILL KELLOGG previous next