The Late Night Gourmet
Home kook
- Joined
- 30 Mar 2017
- Local time
- 9:51 AM
- Messages
- 5,637
- Location
- Detroit, USA
- Website
- absolute0cooking.com
Note that, in deference to our readers from different regions, I've offered an optional U in the subject line. That will be the last of the non-American spellings (the next paragraph uses realize, not realise, for example). Sorry....I tried.
Now then...I've just realized that I somehow feel the need to tell everyone when I find something that I particularly like. This might be annoying, but I'm certainly not going to stop...not if I can enlighten someone about something they didn't know before.
This is certainly true when it comes to peppers. Over the years, I've gotten tired of jalapeno peppers, since they seem to be everywhere, even in the phenomenal Mexican Town restaurants downtown. I understand that they're cheap, but there's so much more to the pepper world than just jalapenos. Here are two that I particularly like. And, if you don't make it to the end of this rambling post, know that I am also interested in what your favorites are.
Serrano Peppers
10,000–25,000 Scoville units
Why I love them: they're the perfect blend of heat and character.
Uses: I use them just about any time I want to bring the heat to a dish, whether it's Indian food or salsa.
Calabrian Chili Peppers
25,000 to 40,000 Scoville units
Why I love them: This is going to sound silly if you haven't tried them, but they taste more....peppery than other peppers. They have the wonderful characteristic of starting out somewhat hot, and gradually building with a steady warmth.
Uses: I've only worked with the peppers in oil, so I have a chance to use the oil itself as a special way to flavor (or even pan fry) things. I've also started to use them in place of other heat sources in things like soups. My Hot & Sour Cabbage Soup is a good example.
I do have others that I really like (chipotle and habanero peppers, in certain situations, are fantastic), but these are my two favorites.
Now then...I've just realized that I somehow feel the need to tell everyone when I find something that I particularly like. This might be annoying, but I'm certainly not going to stop...not if I can enlighten someone about something they didn't know before.
This is certainly true when it comes to peppers. Over the years, I've gotten tired of jalapeno peppers, since they seem to be everywhere, even in the phenomenal Mexican Town restaurants downtown. I understand that they're cheap, but there's so much more to the pepper world than just jalapenos. Here are two that I particularly like. And, if you don't make it to the end of this rambling post, know that I am also interested in what your favorites are.
Serrano Peppers
10,000–25,000 Scoville units
Why I love them: they're the perfect blend of heat and character.
Uses: I use them just about any time I want to bring the heat to a dish, whether it's Indian food or salsa.
Calabrian Chili Peppers
25,000 to 40,000 Scoville units
Why I love them: This is going to sound silly if you haven't tried them, but they taste more....peppery than other peppers. They have the wonderful characteristic of starting out somewhat hot, and gradually building with a steady warmth.
Uses: I've only worked with the peppers in oil, so I have a chance to use the oil itself as a special way to flavor (or even pan fry) things. I've also started to use them in place of other heat sources in things like soups. My Hot & Sour Cabbage Soup is a good example.
I do have others that I really like (chipotle and habanero peppers, in certain situations, are fantastic), but these are my two favorites.
