Quick background... Back around Easter, we spent a week in Mazatlan Mexico at MrsSTC's Uncle's condo. There was a resort next door that made the best salsa I've ever had.. We'd go over and buy containers of it every couple days.
So we asked, and got the recipe:
4 Plum or Roma Tomatoes, chopped
1 Fresh Serrano or Jalapeno Chile, minced
½ Onion, chopped
¼ cup Cilantro, chopped
¼ cup Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
½ tsp Salt to taste
Simple enough. And very good - it wasn't crazy hot or anything.
Flash forward... A coworker puts a large garden in every year, and we were talking about this stuff. He offered to put in a Serrano pepper plant.
This appeared yesterday:
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_CbvAIVzmFFM/TFqfknmzCfI/AAAAAAABNts/RhN-jhjNZPU/s800/20100805062405.jpg)
He says there are probably 40 on the plant..
How hot are these things?
I don't think they are that hot, but hot is a very relative term.
Slice it up and go all guinea pig! (cats like them, right?) ;D
The recipe you have is what, down here, we would call Pico de Gallo. It's on every Tex Mex plate and is ubiquitous in our area. Serranos are typically quite hot - about midway between a Jalapeno and a Scotch Bonnet - and have a really good unique flavor. In our house Pico de Gallo blend I use about half and half Jalapeno and Serrano. If you are not fairly experienced in handling and cutting these gems I suggest some gloves when you handle the cut and chopped ones, and don't tough anything else that may be sensitive.
Pico de Gallo - yes, I would agree with that. That was the texture of it..
Quotemidway between a Jalapeno and a Scotch Bonnet
Yikes! Ok...
Maybe I'll give them to Hal. ;D
Well, closer to the Jalapeno than the Scotch Bonnet, but definitely hotter than the hottest Jalapenos I've ever encountered. Not quite as hot as a Tabasco or Cayenne pepper.
Somebody at the office just sent me this handy little chart..
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_CbvAIVzmFFM/TFqriy8B69I/AAAAAAABNuI/y8cgLTMjm6Y/image001.png)
STC,
I received some of those last year thinking the person giving them to me was bringing jalapenos. I made ABT's with them. I liked them and yes they had some heat to them.
Come on, give it a shot. Take one for the team!
;D
I don't know about ABTs... These things are pretty small.
(http://lh3.ggpht.com/_CbvAIVzmFFM/TFqho4mZpfI/AAAAAAABNt4/Mt7otnMgHvY/s800/20100805063323.jpg)
Try adding some garlic on your next pico de gallo run...
4-5 Roma tomatoes
1 tomatillo
1 Anaheim pepper
1/4 onion
1/2 lime or 1/4 lemon
2-3 cloves garlic
3-4 stems cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
1 jalapeno or serrano
green onions (optional)
Here is the one that was in the newsletter from my SIL
Pico de Gallo
2 Jalapenos, sliced and diced 1 Lime, squeezed
4 Large red tomatoes, sliced and diced Olive Oil, 2-3 tblspns
¼ Onion, diced Spice to taste
Cilantro, Put leaves in cup and chop with scissors Minced Garlic
Mix all together and let set before serving. Great with Chips, Meat, Bread, Rice, Pasta........
ADD IN'S: Some different ingredients to give a little different taste when added
Sour Cream, Avocado, Black beans, Mango, Sugar or Honey
Squirt,
I grow several types of peppers and make pico, salsa cruda, and cooked salsas. I cook with many types of dried chiles.
All chiles of the same name are not equal. I have had hot Serranos and tame Serranos and the same for jalapenos, Hatch chiles, poblanos, etc. My method of testing the heat is to take a tiny nibble from the end (opposite the stem). This is generally a tame part of the pepper. You will avoid the seeds and the membrane. The membrane has the highest concentration of capsaicin.
I judge the flavor profile of the chile. If I like it, I can remove the membrane and seeds. If I want to test the heat level further, I move up a little and take another nibble. Some dishes need the extra heat level, some do not.
Generally, all chiles off of the same plant are similar in flavor profile and heat level. However, as the color changes from green to red, the heat level becomes milder and sweeter. Pico is normally made from green serranos. Green serranos are also a key ingredient in guacamole. I will usually roast them on a comal (flat cast iron skillet) for guacamole and certain salsas.
All of that said, I certainly agree with previous posters and charts that most serranos are much hotter than any jalapeno except for the occasional anomaly. I do like the flavor profile of a serrano. They bring a lot to the party that is missing with jalapenos.
I picked a bag of red serranos the other day, stemmed them and simmered them for 20 minutes with 1/3 white vinegar, 1/3 cider vinegar and 1/3 chicken stock along with an Ancho, a Pasilla and a few red jalapenos, sea salt and some fresh cracked pepper. I then took a stick blender to them. It made a really nice hot sauce to be used straight or as a flavoring. It will keep indefinitely. It came in handy for some blackened fish tacos the other night. I served a mild Baja sauce, homemade corn and flour tortillas, queso fresco, coleslaw, fresh tomato, several red and green salsas and lime wedges. Those who wanted to spike the heat added the red Serrano sauce.
If you watch the experts make a salsa (Mexican women in their homes), you will see no recipes. The salsa will depend on what is fresh in the garden or at the market along with some dried chiles. I once heard it described as throwing everything in a pot, covering it with water or stock and boil the */#@ out of it. Then blend it. Of course the original blender was a Molcajete and a Tejolote. This simple mortar and pestle are still my preferred method for guacamole and certain salsas.
As has been previously commented by BLSH, your recipe is a typical Pico de Gallo (Beak of the Rooster). Some would call it a salsa fresca (fresh salsa) or a salsa cruda (raw salsa). Both would be correct but regionally in Texas these terms are applied when more liquid is in the mix. A great twist is to add fresh cubed avocado to the base just before eating. The onion should be a sweet yellow onion like a Vidalia or a 10/16. Green onions (scallions) can be a nice substitute. Be sure to try some of the serranos green.
At any rate, you have a great source for some fine salsas, etc to share with a nice neighbor. I'll bet more plants will be in order for next year.
Good luck and keep it spicy,
Pachanga
Thanks guys... This will give me some ideas to play with.
And nice to hear from you again Pachanga!
What do you think about freezing for later use? Stem, par-boil and vacuum seal, perhaps?
Squirt,
They can be frozen and retain the flavor. However, the texture will leave a lot to be desired in fresh dishes. I have canned them like jalapenos and I have frozen them just washed and vacuum packed. Frozen and vacuum packed, they will be fine in cooked salsas and roasted applications which are the primary applications in my cooking. I put up 100 or so pounds of Hatch green chiles each year by roasting (fast charring), rolling them in a plastic coated paper, then into a freezer baggie. I unroll a frozen chile at a time as needed. They retain their flavor and properties. Hatch chiles must be roasted to remove the skin which is not necessary with the serranos. I have not tried this with serranos but it may be a winner. I really like to vacuum pack and freeze most items but resealing is a pain for just one or two chiles.
Par boiling would be fine but I do not think it is necessary. I vacuum pack/freeze a lot of fresh basil leaves for my Italian dishes. They taste just like the original. Fresh Vac/frozen Serranos are fine.
I urge you to try making a vinegar sauce described previously with a few of your treasures. It will grow on you quickly.
Keeping it hot,
Pachanga
QuoteI urge you to try making a vinegar sauce described previously with a few of your treasures. It will grow on you quickly.
Thanks! I'll do just that... My last 2 bottles of Scott's sauce ended up in the Great White North, and I've been looking for a nice substitute. I'll brew some up and bring in for the 'gardener' to sample.
Writing about this made me hungry for that flavor. I just dipped three chips into the Serrano sauce. What a rush. It burns so good.
I believe I'll have frosty golden beer; the nectar of the Gods.
Wow. Life is good.
Pachanga
P S Just cover the peppers in liquid. After pureeing, you can add more liquid to your taste and texture needs. Using the back of the spoon test, my concoction will easily cover the back of the spoon and stay in place when cold. It is thin enough to be opaque with the spoon showing through. It looks like a thinned paste.
I'm going back for more.
I've never seen that variety. I've never came any that were that plump.
Serrano is my favorite chili pepper, when I can get them fresh I use them in recipes that call for jalapenos. As Pachanga already mentioned the heat range can vary, but I've never came across one that was less hot then the hottest jalapeno I've come across. I feel they are generally between the heat of a jalapeno and the cayenne pepper.
If I am fortunate to find them on sale, I like to dry them, and either grind or rehydrate them and add them to dishes. To me they have an earthy flavor with a hint of smokiness.
I used some green serranos the other day, and they were quite mild.
But, this was just the flesh that I used - I did take a tiny bite of the membrane, and it was blazing.
Hal, this our our buddy Dan that is growing these... We can have all we want.
Quote from: squirtthecat on August 05, 2010, 04:40:06 PM
Hal, this our our buddy Dan that is growing these... We can have all we want.
We'll be needing some
tomatoes ;D
Quote from: hal4uk on August 05, 2010, 04:43:40 PM
Quote from: squirtthecat on August 05, 2010, 04:40:06 PM
Hal, this our our buddy Dan that is growing these... We can have all we want.
We'll be needing some tomatoes ;D
His aren't ready yet... All the rain slowed things down. (as in drowned everything)
We've been getting a few at the office from other sources, though.
QuoteAll the rain slowed things down.
Last year we had tons of rain, so far this year its been HOT and dry, good for growing hot peppers but bad to work in.
Ok, I sliced this little guy open to try it out..
Seeds + membrane = HOT. Carefully scrapped them down the disposal.
The rest was mildly HOT.
Chopped the rest up and cooked in an impromptu corned beef hash. The HOT was gone by this time. Just a nice flavor..
Here is a link to a chili heat chart. The variety I get pack some heat, even with the seeds and membrane removed.
Scoville Chile Heat Chart (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?28-Scoville-Chile-Heat-Chart)
These had a pleasant amount of heat to them, after I scraped the guts out..
My coworker is going to pick the rest of them this weekend and bring them to work on Monday. I'm splitting the load with another guy.
Put some smoke on some and make salsa!
edit: corrected spelling so it makes some sense.
I was going to make up a batch of Pachanga's pepper sauce. But I might roast a few in the Traeger to give them some smokey goodness...
I have a few more degree inches of heat for you.
These are super cayenne from my garden and a plant I started last year and re-potted into a larger container.
(http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q78/GizmoPhoto/House_006.jpg)
Those are full sized scissors and some jalapenos also from my garden in the same container as the cayenne.
Geez.. That's like a Cayenne Grenade!
Hawaiian-style Chili Pepper Water is always a good condiment to have in the fridge:
Ingredients
* 2-4 small dried hot red chili peppers (I use local peppers - pretty small and about the same heat level as habaneros)
* 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
* 1 quarter-sized slice fresh ginger, bruised
* 1/2 garlic clove, peeled and cut into thin strips (or you can leave it whole)
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup hot water (not boiling)
Directions
1. Combine the first five ingredients in a clean and sterilized bottle or jar. Pour in hot water and let the mixture steep at room temperature overnight.
2. Refrigerate in the morning.
So how do you use the chili pepper water. Do you steam vegies with it or add it to recipes?
Just sprinkle it on stuff like you would hot sauce. I use a Worcestershire bottle - just the right size and has the little pourer thingie so it doesn't all come out at once.
Sounds good. I got that down inthe recipes to try file. Thanks turtle.
Game on!
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_CbvAIVzmFFM/TGKRT2nmxMI/AAAAAAABN4c/a9sgS76X1Qs/s800/20100811070128.jpg)
Nice load.
Whatcha makin?
Quote from: FLBentRider on August 11, 2010, 05:27:05 AM
Nice load.
Whatcha makin?
I'm going to start with this concoction from Pachanga:
Quotepicked a bag of red serranos the other day, stemmed them and simmered them for 20 minutes with 1/3 white vinegar, 1/3 cider vinegar and 1/3 chicken stock along with an Ancho, a Pasilla and a few red jalapenos, sea salt and some fresh cracked pepper. I then took a stick blender to them. It made a really nice hot sauce to be used straight or as a flavoring. It will keep indefinitely.
I don't have those other peppers, so I'm going to go with the serranos, vinegars, sea salt, Malabar pepper and maybe a few shakes of Soileau's. Our breakfast crowd at the office consumes a lot of hot sauce every morning - so I'll spring it on them.
Quote from: squirtthecat on August 11, 2010, 05:43:32 AM
Quote from: FLBentRider on August 11, 2010, 05:27:05 AM
Nice load.
Whatcha makin?
I'm going to start with this concoction from Pachanga:
Quotepicked a bag of red serranos the other day, stemmed them and simmered them for 20 minutes with 1/3 white vinegar, 1/3 cider vinegar and 1/3 chicken stock along with an Ancho, a Pasilla and a few red jalapenos, sea salt and some fresh cracked pepper. I then took a stick blender to them. It made a really nice hot sauce to be used straight or as a flavoring. It will keep indefinitely.
I don't have those other peppers, so I'm going to go with the serranos, vinegars, sea salt, Malabar pepper and maybe a few shakes of Soileau's. Our breakfast crowd at the office consumes a lot of hot sauce every morning - so I'll spring it on them.
Sounds good. I need to get some peppers. Plants did not make it this year.
Ka Honu's 'Pepper Water' sounds interesting as well.. I'll keep an eye out for a small chunk of fresh ginger.
When the humidity drops below a 1000 percent, I'll dig my dehydrator out of the attic..
Quote from: squirtthecat on August 11, 2010, 08:18:54 AMKa Honu's 'Pepper Water'
Hardly mine but in the interest of authenticity, it's called "Chili Pepper Water" and pronounced "Chili Peppah Watah." If one were to ask one's host for some to compliment the taste of the poke (raw fish cubes with some other stuff), the proper request would be, "Eh brah, get chili peppah watah for go wit' da poke?"Quote from: squirtthecat on August 11, 2010, 08:18:54 AMI'll keep an eye out for a small chunk of fresh ginger.
Speaking of ginger, I use it frequently but usually in fairly small amounts - a teaspoon or so at a time. Since it comes in larger chunks, I peel it and put in a plastic bag in the freezer. Keeps for quite a while and I can slice or grate what I need off the root as I need it.
Good to know! Thx.
Mrs came home with a bag of these..
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_CbvAIVzmFFM/TGMjvHc5zBI/AAAAAAABN44/r6QaBBvlgUc/s800/20100811172641.jpg)
(serrano placed for scale)
Squirt,
I made some more Serrano Salsa. Photos are posted under Non-Smoked Recipes.
Good luck and spice it up,
Pachanga