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January 27, 2005
Ancho/Poblano Peppers
These are one of the most popular chili peppers in Mexican cooking. These thick-fleshed peppers are called "poblano" when fresh and "ancho" or "mulato" when dried. The ancho is dark brown, and turns brick red after soaking, while the mulata stays brown after soaking. The mulato is sweeter, richer, hotter, and has been described as chocolatey. Their 3-foot tall, bushy, ever-bearing plant produces fruits that dangle like pendants from their stems. The dark green chilies turn red and then mahogany when mature at 90-110 days. Fresh or dried, poblano chili peppers have a fruity-smoky flavor and measure in at 2500-3000 Scoville Units.'Ancho San Luis' produces heart-shaped fruits of uniform size.
The fresh pepper gets it's name from Pueblo, Mexico, where it is the chili of choice. "Ancho", on the other hand, is an allusion its shape, meaning 'wide'.
Storing:
Refrigerate unwashed in plastic bag for up to one week.
Peppers can be preserved by canning or freezing after they are roasted and peeled.
Preparation:
When drying hot banana peppers, make certain the process is a relatively fast one. This can occur with the use of a dehydrator. Because the pepper's flesh is thick, it takes a little more umph to dry, and therefore can be prone to molding.
Remove the skin before cooking. You can remove the seeds while leaving the peppers whole; this is called "capon" (a reference to a castrated chicken, believe it or not.)
Qualities to Shop For:
Taut, glossy, unbroken skins
Green, well-attached cap
Suggested Uses for Peppers:
Stuffing (ex: Black Beans and cheese, Chili Relleno)
Flavor (ex: soups, sauces)
Dried (ex: enchilada sauce, commercial chili peppers)
Posted by Kelli Little at January 27, 2005 04:06 PM