jalapeno challenge

[Vanessa]

Well as I looked in my fridge I found several long hot chiles, then a bag of jalapenos and a 1/2 bag of pepperoccini. I don't do canning so any suggestions for this garden bounty?

[Leanne]

I envy you!!
One of our favorite things is tomato & pepper pizza. We love spicy food!

Take dough (I always use pre-made - oh the horror! ;) )
top woth olive oil & spices (garlic, basil, oregano...)
Add tomato slices & sun dried tomatoes
Add red pepper, jalepaenos (or serranos), & banana peppers
Top with fresh mozarella (or shredded) & paremeasan cheese
(sometimes I use feta or goat)

Cook it all together. Very spicy, very tatsy.

[SandyM]

How about finding some tomatoes and garlic and cilantro, and make some fresh salsa?

[GeckoGirl]

Being from the Southwest, I love all kinds of roasted chilies. Here is the outline for a great fresh salsa. I don't have exact amounts, vary them to how spicy you want the salsa.

Roast tomatoes and jalapenos until blackened all over. I use a flat griddle, a grill, a skillet, or my George Foreman grill. DON'T PEEL! Throw everything skin and all into a blender with a white onion and some cilantro. Blend. Enjoy!

I think I used about 3 tomatoes, many, many japs, one large white onion and one bunch cilantro. The lady who gave me the recipe did stress blackening the tomato, but I recall having a hard time doing so without losing the skin.

[lorilei]

Ah, how I can relate to your quandry -- we're having a booming crop of Thai chilies this year, and I'm in the same boat :)

If you're looking for an interesting condiment, this Jalapeno Puree is really quite good. Tasty on everything.....

Jalapeño Puree

* 5 fresh jalapeño chiles
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1 1/2 T fresh lime juice
* 1 T water
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1 cup packed fresh cilantro or Italian parsley

Roast the jalapeños under a broiler or on a grill until the skin is charred. Place in a bag for 5 or 10 minutes then peel off the skins.

Stem the jalapeños and puree them with the rest of the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Season with salt to taste.


Here's another interesting recipe for a similar puree (which is a bit less zippy):

Jalapeño Toad

* 1 pound jalapeño peppers
* 2 cans cocount milk
* 2 tbsp lime
* 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Take about a pound of green jalapeños and remove the stems. Puree in a processor until smooth. Add coconut milk, lime juice, and cilantro. Blend. Simmer over low heat for however for 10-12 minutes (or so.) Chill


Have you thought about drying them? They might come in handy to heat things up during the cold winter months :)

[Vanessa]

Since I am allergic to tomatoes DH had plenty of salsa (hot too) and he shared with friends. I add jalapenos and tomatillos to my salsa it really adds to the taste says DH. Now the jalapeno puree does it freeze well? I have a dehydrator and used some long big hot peppers once as decoration. The jalapenos I gave to friends that grind them up making like chili powder. Any other ideas? Maybe some that can be frozen?

[lorilei]

Vanessa - the first recipe for puree freezes very well. However, the coconut milk version is probably questionable. I've never tried it, as I figured the coconut milk would have consistency problems...

Good luck using up your bounty! Let us know what you do!

[Anne]

Vanessa - you could freeze some, either whole or diced, they don't need to be blanched. The texture will not be as firm as fresh but the flavor will still be there.

[Vanessa]

Thanks for all the info. Thanks Lori I will freeze the puree and Anne thanks I will definitelly chop and freeze some too. I think DH will be busy. I try to stay away from handling jalapenos too much it never affects DH so...I guess he has jalapeno duty oming up :)