They finally arrived. Interesting little things. I could instantly catch their fruity aroma through the bag before opening. I pulled one out, licked my finger and got no taste. I wet my finger more and rubbed the pepper and tasted my finger again.. I could barely taste it. Then I squeezed the pepper - it's dried and crumbles apart revealing it's seeds - and licked it. That did it! Those seeds tasted good! I popped the whole thing in my mouth and chewed.
WooHoo! Instant burn on the end of my tongue, then the back of my throat. It's plenty hot - hot as or hotter than the orange habaneros I've been getting at the grocery store. The burn lasted about 2 minutes before fading away, but as it faded I broke out into a sweat. About 7 minutes from first taste, the burn is gone from my throat but still tingling my tongue tip. Almost 20 minutes later I'm still sweating, but almost no burn. Me likey.
I usually add 6-8 habaneros to 1 Qt. of my salsa verde. Now I'll have to experiment with how many of these little devils it's going to take to equal that. Not too many, I expect.
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Cool. I like the way they retain their color after drying. Interesting recommendation, wash before consuming. Kind of defeats the purpose of drying, and can't grind dry in a coffee mill after "washing". I'm not trying to turn anyone off from dried chilies, the wife told me she saw a cautionary vid on dried peppers in a warehouse....had rats climbing all over a bin full. I consider it, but ultimately put it out of my head and move forward without washing. The hotter the better?....the higher the capsicum the better the pest control? Dunno. An interesting tidbit, birds lack the vulnerable receptors and can consume hot chilies(and seeds) no problem. Some bird seed suppliers include hot chili seeds in the mix to ward off feeder raiders, squirrels and such...to include rats, I reckon. It is what it is, carpe diem, damn the torpedoes, and all that rot.
What's your Salsa Verde?
I don't typically use dried peppers in salsa, or not much. If i'm going for it, I usually make good use of breaking out the blender(at times for a small batch or quacamole I may go the molcajete route(a mortar and pestle). Long post warning....
If i'm going to bother, I make 4
salsas. Forgive, but I don't measure, so no precise measurements are/will be provided. If you're going to break out the blender, go for it. Variety is good fun.
1 (because it takes time for the flavors
to marry, I make
Salsa Blanco 1st. Mayo goes in a bowl. A touch of vinegar, taste, should be
a little tangy. A touch of milk, just enough to thin the consistency, but also lightens the mayo taste. Now no longer has an evident mayo taste, sort of. In goes granulated garlic, ground cumin seed, Mexican oregano(or
italian if that is all you have on hand), ground hot chilie such as cayenne. Done. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Not always, but sometimes I might add a pinch of sugar...a bit of sweet and sour element.
Ingredients and what not for the other 3: A can of whole tomatoes(fresh seems to make the salsa roja too thin, and canned tomatoes are fine having been picked at the peak of ripeness for canning. Don't use canned "tomato sauce".). 4-5 roma tomatoes(number depends on size). About 10-15 tomatillos(depending on size). Fresh serrano chilies. White onion. whole garlic cloves. Cilantro. Dried Chili de Arbol chilies.
2) I like my salsa roja pretty basic. Cut each whole canned tomato in half to remove seeds and excess water, and into the blender as you go. Peel fresh peeled garlic cloves and crush once with the side of a chef knife, into the blender. Personally, I don't over do it, but I like a fair amount of garlic. In goes fresh serrano chilies. I may seed half the total amount of chilies. I want heat, but I also want everyone to be able to enjoy the salsa. Jalapenos will be fine if that is all you have on hand, they are less hot. In goes some cilantro, stems and all. A touch of salt(keeping in mind some canned tomatoes may already have salt). Put the (blender) spurs to it. Taste test for seasoning(salt). Keep in mind, it's salsa
roja(red). so you go too heavy on the greens it's gonna be green. No good, ymmv.
Heat oven to about 425, and sauce pan of water on top to a boil. On a cookie sheet goes all of the romas, a little over half of the tomatillos, 1/4-1/3 of the white onion, and several whole UNPEELED garlic cloves to roast. Into the boiling water goes the remainder tomatillos and 1/3 slice of a white onion.
Important!: place several chili de arbol on the cookie sheet. It only takes a short time, don't burn. Less than a minute. Little hints of dark color is fine, even desirable. But don't burn the fucking chilies! Some Moles call for burnt shit, but this ain't it...that's another post in the tl;dr chronicles
3) Go in this order, puhlease. Salsa Verde. Once the boiled tomas are soft, throw in the blender with the boiled(softened) onion. In goes cilantro and peeled roasted garlic. Don't put the spurs to it! Pulse, should be a little chunky. Pretty simple, no heat, refreshing. Can also be mashed with avocado for a type of quac( but I typically like my quac with nothing but avocado and lime). Can also add Mexican Crema to the guac...but anyway!
4) No need to rinse the blender. Salsa Taqueria!...my favorite. This one brings the heat. Into the blender goes all of the roasted stuff....tomates, tomatillos, onion, peeled roasted garlic...cilantro if you like, I don't. Chilies de Arbol!.....if you're scared say you're scared. But to be clear, food is meant to be enjoyed, go crazy to your hearts content, don't do stupid shit with chilies. This shit is gooood, should be a rich deep reddish brown color.
I lied, I also make a 5th while i'm at it, a simple pico de gallo(beak of the rooster)...diced tomatoes, jalapeno(or serrano), white onion, cilantro, garlic, pinch of salt, squeeze of lime. A 6th? On occasion, a drained can of pickled jalapenos and a handful of cilantro, and into the blender, that's it.
A little advice. (hot!)Chilis are best enjoyed with food. Jack shit up on occasion. I don't necessarily discourage it, and although I have and will, don't go biting into a whole habanero or doing other fool hardy stuff. And for God's sake, don't trick people for laughs. If it's in your mouth, don't spit it out!....you'll get it all over your lips. If you think it is overwhelming.......
be still, literally. Don't fight it, don't scrape your tongue with your teeth or any other futile nonsense. Be still. Close your eyes, bow your head, and let it burn.....it's a wonderful thing. Experience it for as long as it takes. In time your natural pain killers will come to the rescue...to a certain extent.
Enjoy them chilies. brother. Never thought about ordering chilies, I might give it a go.
/tl;dr
Back around 1978 I used to jam with a drummer who's band was The Boyz.
