tropit

Every year the garden is different. There's always something that flops and something that shines. In 2018 my tomatoes weren't the greatest, but the peppers really put on a show.

The Shishito peppers were the big hit this summer. We toasted them up in a little oil, salted and served them up as a hot appetizer. So easy! This pepper is not hot, but very flavorful. One plant puts out a lot of peppers and we had about 5 plants. We still have some that are waiting to be harvested.

The Ring O Fire peppers also outdid themselves. These are cayenne style chilis and they are HOT! I'm going to make some hot sauce out of them by grinding them up and soaking them in AC vinegar and a little salt...and maybe a squeeze of lime.

Bell Peppers were HUGE this year! I had a hard time picking them because they grew so big while nestled between the plant branches. They got stuck in there. I've been chopping the bell peppers up, blanching them and putting them in the freezer.

Aneheim Peppers and Poblano Peppers also did really well. We've been roasting them over the stove flame, then putting them in a plastic bag to sweat, then rinsing off the charred skin. They are then stuffed with almond cheese and slathered with a fluffy,whipped, egg batter and fried in a little oil. I just use enchilada sauce (Victoria brand is my favorite) as a sauce. OMG! They're heavenly! LMK if you want the recipe.

Sheep's Nose peppers did OK, but I didn't plant enough plants to get a big harvest. I hoped to have made pickled peppers with them, but I didn't really have enough to make it worth the while. Same with the Cubanelles.

Next year I want to make my own enchilada sauce with our homegrown peppers. I'm not sure which varieties to plant. Ideas?

~C

ekuw

I make my own enchilada sauce and I use a jalapeno pepper. I would say it depends on if you want more spice or more flavor. Sounds like any of those peppers would work.

feline fanatic

I adore peppers and chilis. The crazy thing about shishito peppers is there can be a rogue hot one. Even the same plant will produce all sweets and suddenly, wham, you bite into a hot one. I also cook them like you, a drizzle of oil then on the grill. For ease of turning I put them on skewers.

Try making what I call "naked Chili Rellenos" Rather than doing the egg batter and fry, stuff them and pop them in the oven. All the flavor and a mere fraction of the calories. I make a bunch of them when the Poblanos are ready and freeze them prior to baking. You can pop them into the oven frozen and they are ready in half and hour. Love them! I use a mix of cheeses all grated up. If I can get my hands on Queso Chihuahua I will use that but it is hit or miss in my area and I have found Monterrey Jack and Muenster with a little mozzarella a good blend. I add in some chopped tomatillo and lots of cilantro, some finely chopped onion or scallion and some cumin. I then compress the mixture in my hand and stuff the pepper. So yummy!

I also make my own enchilada sauce when I have time, both green and red. For red, I order dried Ancho, Mulato and Pasilla from the Spice House (known as the "holy trinity" of mexican cooking) and make my red sauce from these. So much more flavor than canned but I do like canned too and also like Victoria. But the canned can't compare to the flavor and depth of home made. Ancho and Mulato are both made from Poblanos. They are dried at different degrees of ripeness. http://benitosmexican.com/news/mexic...-holy-trinity/

Edited to add, this year was the year of tomatoes in my area. My tomatoes did so well, I canned over 40 quarts of my sauce and have another 10 quarts of whole or chopped in the freezer.

tropit

I'd love to see a recipe!

~C

tropit

I've made a sauce with those chiis a long time ago. The Mulato really added some depth of flavor. Do you have a recipe to share?

~ C

mountain-moma

Tropit,Those huge Bell Peppers,would have made some Awesome stuffed bell peppers for the Winter months I've done them and freeze them then cook off in tomato juice,,Ours didn't do so good this year but our Tomatoes,really done well canned a lots of them,,,Blessings

feline fanatic

Tropit, so sorry for my delayed response. My red chili sauce always turns out better when I make it with broth from either chicken or pork but you can try this recipe from an old cookbook I have that has never steered me wrong in authentic Mexican dishes. The book is called Mexican Cooking Class Cookbook https://www.amazon.com/Mexican-Cooki.../dp/0881761842

3 oz dried chilis (the cookbook calls for ancho but I almost always mix them up with a combo of ancho, mulatto, pasillo and often add in Guajillo too.) You must toast, seed, devein and rinse the dried chilis. 3 oz is about 5 dried chilis. I find it easiest to toast them in a 250 degree oven for about 3 to 4 minutes. Seeding, deveining and rinsing removes most of the heat but leaves all the complex flavors ranging from smoky to fruity.
2 1/2 cups boiling water (or stock)
2 tbsp. of tomato paste
1 clove of garlic minced (or you can put it through a garlic press)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cumin (I always use more, usually 1/2 tsp or to taste sometimes I add even more but I love the flavor of cumin)
1/4 tsp ground coriander (I have omitted this with no detriment of the flavor)
1. Place chilis in bowl with boiling water, let steep for at least 1 hour (I have let it sit as long as overnight)
3. Transfer chilis and all liquid to a blender and puree until smooth
4. Put pureed chili sauce in a saucepan and add all other ingredients. Simmer covered stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.

Last week I had made a pork shoulder in the crockpot and added garlic and onion to the liquid. Along with some rosemary and thyme, salt and pepper. I decided to make enchiladas out of the leftovers and had saved the liquid from the crock pot to make the sauce. So instead of water I used that. After steeping my chilis in this broth and pureeing them I tasted it to see what it needed from the normal recipe ingredients. The sauce was so flavorful and delicious I only added the cumin and nothing else. I didn't use all the sauce to make the enchiladas so froze the remainder to have with naked Chili Rellanos.

tropit

Thanks! I'm gonna try this!

~ C

Darcyshannon

I like doing a Chile Relleno main dish where all the ingredients are placed in a 9x11 pan. I will hav to try that sauce recipe.

feline fanatic

I do that too. It is really good. Pioneer Woman has a good one. https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/...iles-rellenos/

I use my own roasted and frozen Poblanos and add chopped cilantro and I mix up the cheeses to include Mozzerella, Jack, Cheddar, if I have some Queso Chihuahua I will use that instead of Mozz. Have also substituted Muenster for the Mozz. I like to have one in there that melts "stretchy".