Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Chile Peppers Q & A's

I wrote my first cookbook nine years ago.  
It is called, MILD TO WILD MEXICAN COOKBOOK.  
I don't know if it is because I live in  New Mexico, or that I wrote a Mexican cookbook, or maybe it is a combination of the two, but I am often asked about chile peppers.

Below are the frequently asked questions that I receive, and the answers that I give.

Q. What is the most popular chile pepper?

A.  The jalapeno pepper is the most popular pepper in the United States. Jalapenos range in heat from mild to hot.  A chipotle is a smoked jalapeno.
 Jalapeno

Q. I want to stuff a chile, which one should I use?

A. Whether you want to stuff a pepper with cheese or beef and rice, the pablano pepper is the most popular chile pepper for stuffing.  They are large and have thick walls and range from mild to medium in heat.  A dried pablano chile is called an ancho chile.
Pablano

Q.  What is a Hatch Green Chile?

A.  Hatch Green Chile, is not one single type of chile, but is actually several different varieties of chile that are grown in Hatch, New Mexico.  Sandia, New Mexico, Big Jim, and Joe Parker are just a few of the varieties of chile that are grown in the Hatch Valley.  Big Jim is the variety that is typically sold at the grocery store as Hatch Green Chile.  The heat ranges from mild to medium.
 Green Chiles

In New Mexico at harvest time, the air is filled with the delicious aroma of roasting peppers. 

I like to roast peppers in my oven.  To see my step by step blog post about roasting peppers, click the link below.

Q.  I like my food hot, which pepper should I use?

A.  The habanero pepper is probably the hottest pepper you will find at your local grocery store.  It is very hot in heat.
Habanero

Fun Facts from my MILD TO WILD MEXICAN COOKBOOK:

Peppers are a fruit not a vegetable.

Peppers contain more vitamin A and C than orange juice.

The best relief for a burning mouth is milk, sour cream, or yogurt.

Wear plastic gloves while handling and preparing peppers.

Some chile peppers can grow up to 12 inches long or as short as 1/4 inch.

When refrigerating recipes containing hot peppers, your leftovers will become spicier as the peppers continue to release their heat.

The first cookbook featuring a recipe using peppers was published in 1872.

Removing the seeds and veins in a pepper is an easy way to control the heat in a recipe.

On Friday, I will be posting my 
Restaurant Salsa recipe.

Enter my giveaway, for your chance to win a copy of my cookbook, 
MY KIND OF COOKING, and a kitchen plaque!  
For more details, check out my post about the Giveaway.


Check out my friend Bo's
Le Creuset French Oven Giveaway! 


Visit my friends blogs!

You will love Bo and his blog,  Bo's Bowl.  Not only does he host great giveaways,  his recipes are incredible!  One visit to his blog and you will see why I faithfully 
follow it.

Also visit my friend Pam's blog, Pam's Midwest Kitchen Korner,  for more great recipes!  Once you read her blog, she will be your friend too!

Stop by and visit Ashley, at What Does A Songbird Sing.  She posts recipes and exercise tips on her blog, and who couldn't use a little more of both!





Posted by at
Labels: , , , ,

19 comments:

  1. Whats Cookin Italian Style CuisineMarch 29, 2011 at 2:29 AM

    Boy am I glad you posted this I actually ruined alot of dishes with too hot of peppers not paying attention this great info!

    ReplyDelete
  2. pamMarch 29, 2011 at 2:54 AM

    How informative! I've been wondering what a Hatch chili was.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jayanthy KumaranMarch 29, 2011 at 2:56 AM

    very interesting post...drooooooooooling here..
    Tasty Appetite

    ReplyDelete
  4. Gloria BakerMarch 29, 2011 at 3:58 AM

    Hi Linda I really love this post, I love chiles, gloria

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gloria BakerMarch 29, 2011 at 4:02 AM

    Im sure I comment Linda! aniway I love this post because I love chiles. gloria

    ReplyDelete
  6. RitaMarch 29, 2011 at 4:05 AM

    Thank you for this lesson on peppers; I am quite unsure about them; not too common in my cooking.
    Rita

    ReplyDelete
  7. PamMarch 29, 2011 at 4:14 AM

    Thanks for the lesson! All the different chiles are great but they're confusing to me as I see so many varieties in the stores. I've never heard of the Hatch chile varieties and wonder if they're in the stores here. That must be wonderful with harvest time and the chiles roasting!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ocean Breezes and Country SneezesMarch 29, 2011 at 4:58 AM

    Great info on peppers! I used some jalapeno's this weekend and they were so mild I couldn't believe it! Practically no heat at all, even from the seeds! That's never happened to me.

    ReplyDelete
  9. JeannieMarch 29, 2011 at 7:30 AM

    Thats a lot of peppers! Great info on all sort of peppers here:D

    ReplyDelete
  10. Jessica | CajunliciousMarch 29, 2011 at 9:41 AM

    Linda, I am so happy you found my blog which led me to yours. Following yours as well. I love all the pepper info!

    ReplyDelete
  11. BoMarch 29, 2011 at 10:43 AM

    Linda any tips on how to pick milder jalapenos or is it just luck?

    ReplyDelete
  12. UnknownMarch 29, 2011 at 11:04 AM

    Bo, Jalapeno peppers picked in the hottest summer month will be hotter then the ones you pick in early summer or fall. With the year round high demand for jalapenos, they are now able to grow them in cooler climates, but the result is a mild jalapeno. They look perfect and unfortunately there is no way to tell by looking at them if they are mild or hot.

    ReplyDelete
  13. scrambledhenfruitMarch 29, 2011 at 6:12 PM

    Thanks for the pepper info! I always wear gloves to chop hot peppers. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousMarch 30, 2011 at 1:04 AM

    Thank you for this post I learned a lot about chillies....

    Healthy cooking tips

    ReplyDelete
  15. UnknownMarch 30, 2011 at 6:00 AM

    Great post full of awesome info! I have to say I did not know that peppers were fruit! Makes sense! I LOVE all peppers, and yes stuffed poblanos are delicious! Those orange Haby's up there are nothing to mess around with! YUM!

    ReplyDelete
  16. BlackswanMarch 30, 2011 at 9:15 PM

    Thks for enlightening me! Didn't know so much facts about these peppers. Hahaha!

    ReplyDelete
  17. kitchen flavoursMarch 31, 2011 at 6:41 AM

    I am a big fan of hot and spicy food, and I love the Jalapeno peppers. I have not seen the Habanero peppers before, been looking for it for ages. Thank you for all the wonderful tips!

    ReplyDelete
  18. ChrisApril 3, 2011 at 9:24 AM

    My taste for peppers has increased as I've gotten older, as most people do. I used to be afraid of jalapenos, got used to them, but more and more, the habanero is becoming my favorite.

    ReplyDelete
  19. AnneApril 4, 2011 at 3:35 PM

    I love cooking with peppers and this post was awesome, thank you!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)