Bess Kuzma wrote;
Dear Udi's, I enjoy making
fresh salsa with my own ingredients. When I purchase a pepper at the store - say
an Anaheim or Pasilla pepper, is there any way to tell which individual pepper
is more mild (or more hot) than the others in the display? If I store them at
home for a day or two will they lose some hotness? Will refrigeration affect it?
Even within any one variety, they seem to vary a great deal in hotness levels,
and I prefer them to not be too hot. Thanks for your help and advice.
Dear Bess,
it's great that you make your salsa. Nothing tastes better than home and fresh
made. Chili peppers range in degree of heat from very mild to incendiary, and
the heat can vary within a variety. It's hard to tell visually which individual
pepper is hotter than the other while you're in the market because the heat of
chili peppers comes from the seeds, the veins (the thin inner membranes to which
the seeds are attached), and in the parts nearest the veins. Some might say that picking a pepper with a more taut and "stainless" skin may bring you less heat. Sometimes the
intensity of the color or of the aroma can give you an indication but it's pretty
much nearly a matter of luck. If and when possible, adding a pinch of sugar to your dish might tame those flames.As long as the storage area is between 45 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit your peppers, kept
in plastic bags, would be just fine for a week or two. You could also remove
the seeds, devein them, place them in a thick plastic bag and store them in the
freezer for a few weeks. Doing this will not affect the intensity of the heat packed in that pepper.
Be Udiful,
Chef Yasmin Lozada-Hissom
------
What better time to enjoy the freshness available at Farmer's Market's
than mid-summer, when nearly everything is in season and at it's peak?
They're bursting with color and flavor, so stop by one nearest to you
and pick up the following fresh ingredients for this feisty summer salsa recipe, provided by Udi's Chef Robin Bar-on!
This is a basic Pico de Gallo recipe, but here we use the heat of the summer grill to calm and change the spice of the jalapenos and create a new, smoky flavored salsa that can compete for flavor on any grilled foods, or by itself with chips and avocado right now the farmers markets are bursting with sweet vidalia onions and all variety of local tomatoes;
1 yellow onion, peel on
3 cloves garlic, still in their skin
2 jalapenos, whole
4 tomatoes, whole
1/2 cup cilantro chopped
1 lemon, juices
1 ts salt
This recipe is made in two stages. the first stage is grilling the vegetables, and the key here is leaving all the vegetables whole. This makes them easy to grill. Let them cook for about 5 minutes on each side on a hot part of the grill and allow the vegetables to char almost black on the outside. The onion and garlic with roast itself inside the skin, which acts as a perfect foil to the heat while still alowing that smoky, charred taste to penetrate.
After the vegetables are blackened, you have reached stage two. Peel the garlic and onion and remove jalapeno stem (and remove the seeds if you desire a milder salsa). Throw these and the tomatoes in a blender. Add lemon juice and salt and blend to the desired consistency. At the end add the cilantro and ENJOY!
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