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Post by Don Cuevas on Sept 3, 2009 1:14:59 GMT
Thanks so much, bixa. Imagine there being a book called Heat Wave etc. Must try the enhanced ice cream. Maybe I can experiment. Do you think the red ones must be dried? I used to eat "Death by Chocolate" Ice Cream, with ground dried chile ancho powder sprinkled on, surrounded by round tortilla chips. A good, intensely orange, all-natural orange sherbert is good with some of the pickling liquid of chiles habaneros. Probably good with lime sherbert as well.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 3, 2009 1:58:01 GMT
Hmmmmmmm. What's that like? Does the sherbet still taste like a dessert, or does the pickle liquid make it more like a between-the-courses palate cleanser?
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Post by lola on Sept 4, 2009 3:58:49 GMT
I combined hot banana peppers, chopped, along with ground turkey and feta cheese, salt, pepper, to make turkey burgers last night. Very tasty and easy.
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Post by imec on Sept 4, 2009 4:17:07 GMT
I once suggested to dinner guests that we go for a little walk down the river bank before diner one evening. Everyone was game so I told them to run along and I'd be right behind them. I soon caught up to them and we proceeded to a quiet spot atop the dike where I suggested we stop for a rest. I then opened up the small pack I was carrying in which I had packed a small ziplock bag of Jalapenos that I had stuffed with goat cheese earlier in the day, a small tin pan and a propane torch. I then lit the torch and roasted the stuffed peppers while in the little pan and then dressed them with some olive oil and balsamic out of a tiny bottle I had saved from my salad on the airplane the day before. We washed it down with small glasses of chilled Sambuca. It was a hit.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 4, 2009 4:23:27 GMT
How did you get your big feet in that little pan?
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Post by imec on Sept 4, 2009 4:25:22 GMT
;D Had to get them out of my mouth first.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 4, 2009 4:30:39 GMT
Kidding aside, it sounds like a great, sophisticated variation on the "cheese pops", or whatever they call those things.
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Post by lola on Sept 4, 2009 14:01:56 GMT
That sounds delicious, imec. And creative.
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Post by imec on Sept 4, 2009 15:15:09 GMT
Kidding aside, it sounds like a great, sophisticated variation on the "cheese pops", or whatever they call those things. Precisely - and it was not meant to be sophisticated, just a fun and unexpected treat - it worked. (it was inspired by an airline magazine article I read on the way home the day before about improvised cooking techniques) (and thanks lola)
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Post by lola on Sept 5, 2009 14:50:56 GMT
Bixa, I'm going to make the hot sauce today. Do I need to seed the tiny things?
I have gathered enough bottles for some vinegar, too. Yesterday I made tomato jam using Mark Bittman's NYT recipe and hot banana peppers.
Don Cuevas, your ice cream treat sounds like something we should try. Is Death By Chocolate a brand? Or do I just go in an extrreme chocolate direction?
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 5, 2009 17:32:45 GMT
Oh god NO, Lola ~~ seeding them would be living hell. The whole point of that recipe is that it's a quick way to use up lots of chiles. Really, the hardest part is getting the goop into the bottles.
The tomato jam sounds incredibly good!
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Post by lola on Sept 6, 2009 18:27:06 GMT
¡Caramaba! I lifted the lid of the blender and took an ill-advised sniff. Immediate capsaicin intoxication, followed by a feeling of well-being. It's beautiful. Thank you.
The blending end point is when you can no longer see individual seeds, I guess?
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 6, 2009 19:17:01 GMT
Yeah, that's what I go for. Don't remember if I told you or not, but I'd keep it in the fridge to be on the safe side. I've forgotten bottles of it outside the fridge on several occasions and nothing happened, but since there are no preservatives in it besides the vinegar and salt, it's probably best to keep it chilled. It lasts months and months in the refrigerator.
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Post by lola on Sept 11, 2009 1:16:00 GMT
The hot sauce is so good, bixa. So easy, and so good. Thanks.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 11, 2009 1:25:42 GMT
Oh, I am so glad to hear that, Lola. I'm sure you thought, as did I when my eyes were watering and the house reeked of vinegar, "Why the hell am I doing this? You can buy this stuff!" But it really does taste better than bought, doesn't it?
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Post by lola on Sept 11, 2009 2:12:06 GMT
Yes. Very worth it!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2009 17:55:18 GMT
Aren't there some uses of hot peppers that are not for eating? I mean getting rid of insects or other pests, warding off predators, killing weeds?
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 11, 2009 18:13:30 GMT
I have never believed that myth that garlic and hot peppers repel bugs. It seems so unscientific -- "whoo -- this stuff is too strong for me, betcha bugs would hate it!" My suspicion is that those homemade mixtures sometimes work because the recipes call for detergent or soap as a surfectant. Those two things will in fact zap some plant pests. Ground chile powder would might work to keep cat or dog off a flower bed because sniffing it would irritate their noses. Pet stores sell giant bags of cayenne peppers to feed to parrots and similar birds. Just because our human tongues register capsaicin as "hot" doesn't mean it affects all other creatures that way.
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Post by lola on Sept 14, 2009 0:44:32 GMT
I could swear the some small furry creature's nibbling on my smallest and lowest red hot peppers. Bunnies are #1 suspects, but could easily be possum or raccoon.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 14, 2009 1:39:27 GMT
Mmmmmm ~~ their flesh will taste all the better when you trap and cook them!
I think I forgot to tell you that you can also make chile sherry or rum or vodka or whatever spirit you have on hand. Put peppers in a bottle, squeezing some of the little chiles as you drop them in, or sticking a knife in the side of larger ones. Sprinkle in some salt & let it set a few minutes. Add garlic or herbs if you wish. Pour in the alcohol and let it set a week or so. I used rum the last time because that's what I had, but found it too sweet so added some vinegar.
I had a spent bottle of pepper rum and one of pepper vinegar -- all the liquid was used up, but the still zingy soaked solids remained. Tonight I upended the contents of the two bottles into the blender jar. (you'll need something to coax everything out). I added some fresh garlic, some salt, some freshly ground black pepper and enough vinegar to fill the larger bottle, plus a little more. I liquified it, then poured it back into the bottle. (the overage went into tonight's pasta). It's not a pretty color, but boy is it good.
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Post by fumobici on Sept 20, 2009 23:57:55 GMT
Have you ever made pesto from purple basil? I like it but if you are expecting it to be pretty- not so much.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 21, 2009 0:07:43 GMT
Yes, I've done that when all I had was purple &/or that Genovese basil. It doesn't even have the saving grace of being purple. Did you see Reply #22 on the previous page of this thread? It's more adventures in ugly sauces.
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Post by lola on Sept 21, 2009 1:20:32 GMT
So when it's near frost time and I still have green peppers, do I proceed as with the red ones for hot sauce?
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 21, 2009 2:45:56 GMT
Yes. They'll look much better than my green sauce because you're not using those black peppers.
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Post by lola on Sept 7, 2011 16:12:08 GMT
So, my cayenne peppers have produced much better than any of the others this year. I'll make some vinegar, for sure. Would they work for the blender hot sauce? seeds n all? These do get thin skinned as they get red, so not the juicy meaty effect. I should just dry them for a decorative ristra or wreath, since there are far more than I can use in cooking over the next year.
Your hot sauce, bixa, was a huge hit with my brother and his son in addition to me of course. It does make a nice little present.
This year I kept looking for, but couldn't find , the chiltepin plants or seeds. I've gotten sparing with my hot sauce stash from last season.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 7, 2011 16:47:39 GMT
Lola, I'm sure they'd work for the blender hot sauce, seeds & all. They may actually have more meat to seed proportion than the teeny ones & it would be interesting to taste compare the two sauces. Disappointing that you didn't get any volunteers from last year's chiltepines, although they may surprise you yet. The dried cayennes are frequently toasted here before using -- and that's even more prevalent in other parts of Mexico. They're put on a dry griddle over a high flame and tossed about until they begin to darken & release their fabulous aroma. There are quite a few recipes online -- look up toasted dried chiles de árbol for more ideas. But the simplest way to try this out is to toast the dried cayennes as directed, then put them in very hot water to soften. Blenderize them with a little garlic, &/or a dry-toasted onion slice, lime juice or vinegar, salt, cilantro -- simple, but sublime. Another use for dried cayenne, or any dried chile, is to put one or several of them atop popcorn before beginning to pop. If the popped corn isn't spicy enough when done, put the now hot & toasted chiles in the butter you melt to pour over the popcorn. Hint: count the chiles you put in! It's not a nice surprise to crunch into >>>hot<<< as you munch popcorn in the dark in front of the tv. Oh yeah -- so many of the online recipes direct you to de-seed the peppers. That way lies madness.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 7, 2011 17:24:15 GMT
I have not been eating enough hot peppers.
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Post by lola on Sept 7, 2011 17:30:08 GMT
Ooh, thanks, Bixa!
I can see even more hot peppers in my near future.
I may have over fertilized the banana and poblanos, or otherwise somehow failed them, because they've petered out to almost nothing. I do have some NM style chiles that are very nice, and something called Cajun Belle, a small spicy bell pepper.
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Post by lola on Sept 7, 2011 18:03:38 GMT
I made a dish last night of stirfried homegrown garlic, onions, diced banana, serrano and bell peppers and eggplant, then threw in a can of Ro-Tel type canned tomatoes and chiles because my garden tomatoes are taking a breather, to simmer. It turned out tasty and end of summery.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 7, 2011 18:04:52 GMT
I have grown many peppers, which means I have grown quite of few of them poorly. I think some of them have very specific requirements of altitude, cool or hot nights, etc., which are never mentioned.
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