Got some Serrano peppers... Now What?

[squirtthecat]

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:




He says there are probably 40 on the plant..

How hot are these things?

[FLBentRider]

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

[BuyLowSellHigh]

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.

[squirtthecat]

Pico de Gallo - yes, I would agree with that.   That was the texture of it.. 

midway between a Jalapeno and a Scotch Bonnet

Yikes!   Ok...

Maybe I'll give them to Hal.   ;D

[BuyLowSellHigh]

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.

[squirtthecat]

Somebody at the office just sent me this handy little chart..

[KyNola]

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!

[squirtthecat]

  ;D


I don't know about ABTs...   These things are pretty small.

[Ka Honu]

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)

[Tenpoint5]

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

[Pachanga]

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

[squirtthecat]

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?

[Pachanga]

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

[squirtthecat]

I 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.

[Pachanga]

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.