I have jalapenos

[northside food]

I bought them mainly because the FDA says I shouldn't. Don't worry, I bought them from my local farmers market so I know they are safe.

The problem, is that I have a low tolerance for spicy food. So I don't cook with them often. My original thought was to make a salsa fresca with one of them, but the tomatoes in my yard are taking their sweet time right now.

Any other thoughts on what I could do with them? I have two pretty good sized ones.

[davmar77]

although i prefer hotter peppers for this,you can make a carribean style salsa with frsh mango,the peppers,lime juice,olive oil,scallions,cilantro and other seasonings of choice.chop all the ingredients coarse and let them sit in the fridge after combining them.i serve it over grilled swordfish,mako or shrimp.sweet and spicy!

[MattInNJ]

Incorporate them too a cornbread recipe...
mmmmm

[northside food]

Dammit. I made cornbread already this week.

[alkapal]

poppers http://www.jalapenocafe.com/recipes/p...

jalapeno jelly

[thew]

stuff with shrimp minced with garlic and herbs and grill

[Sinicle]

I freeze them whole.

[revsharkie]

I freeze mine, but in halves, and with the stem, seeds, and white stuff already taken out.

But does anyone have any idea how one would go about making their own chipotles? I have a charcoal-burning barrel smoker in the backyard.

[hohokam]

In Ruhlman and Polcyn's "Charcuterie", a procedure for making "near-chipotles" [quotation marks mine] is outlined. The process is to (1) halve the chiles lengthwise, (2) cold smoke the halved chiles for 3-5 hours, and (3) blister and peel off the skins. I've seen online sources that outline different procedures, but pretty much all of them involve cold or "warm" (~180F) smoking for a few hours and then drying the chiles.

True cold smoking is a bit of a pain with a standard backyard smoker. One has to either build and maintain a very small fire (4-5 coals max) or build an apparatus that will allow the smoke to cool significantly (i.e., to ~100F) before it reaches the food being smoked. "Warm smoking" is less challenging, but can require some careful fire management.

Given the abundance of jalapenos we have every summer, I like the IDEA of home-smoked chipotles, but, at the same time, I don't much fancy the reality of having to baby a tiny little fire along for several hours when it's 100+ degrees outside here in Phoenix. ;-)

[hohokam]

Same here...sorta...we usually roast ours and then freeze them whole, just like we do with New Mexico chiles.

[normalheightsfoodie]

You can put them on the BBQ and and get the skin to brown or turn black. If you have a gas stove, you can do it with tongs. After the skin has blistered, place them in a paper bag, I do not know why, but it works, for a few minutes. when they have cooled, run them under cool water and peel the skin. If you do not like very spicy things, butterfly them and remove the seeds under the water. Be very careful and do not touch your face, or eyes. you quickly understand the benefit of pepper spray.

I like to put them on burgers, or you could southwestize something with them.

you can stuff them with cheese and batter and deep fry them. If you do that, just cut the bottom off and remove the seeds with your fingers.

good luck.

[BobB]

You can pickle them very simply: wash them, slice them into nacho-style rings (discard the stems), put them into a glass or plastic container and cover them with undiluted white vinegar. I've kept home-grown ones like that for over two years.

[geminigirl]

interesting....do they retain the heat? and have you ever left them whole (but cored and seeded? do you eat them as pickles or any luck with adding them to dishes - just wondering how pickled they taste...thanks

[BobB]

They retain their heat quite well - in fact I upped the heat factor a bit by throwing a few chopped fresh cayennes into the last batch I made.

They start out tasting like vinegary fresh ones, and over time become more like the jarred nacho slices you buy in the store. Then they just stabilize and last seemingly forever. I use them in all sorts of dishes: on top of melted cheddar cheese on toasted English muffins, chopped by the handful and mixed into American chop suey, in chili, in spaghetti sauce, and, of course, on nachos.

Never tried doing whole ones.

[Val]

BobB, just vinegar and no salt, right? I like pickling methods that don't use any salt.

[geminigirl]

thanks again for this info, this is on my to do list, oh and one last question, do you refrigerate these or can they be stored on the shelf? thanks!

[BobB]

Just vinegar, and stored in the fridge.

[Val]

Excellent! Thanks!

[DiveFan]

To be on the safe side regarding bacterial contamination, I'd bring the chiles and vinegar to a boil then immediately remove from heat.
Unless you can't tolerate a little chile 'heat', leave the ribs and seeds in the pickled mixture. Way too may store bought jalapenos are the wimpy TAM variety.
Maybe you could add a few fresh serranos as well to the pot.....

[crosby_p]

I slice off the stem ends, run my knife inside to get out the seeds and ribs, and set them standing up in a ramekin. I put a lump of blue cheese in each, then cover the whole bowl with roasted red peppers (out of a jar is fine). Drizzle evoo on top and bake in the toaster oven til the cheese melts..great small plate/tapas offering! Since you have two large ones, slice them thickly into about 3 slices each, then follow the same instruction!!

[gmk1322]

To control the heat I will take the seeds our and de-vein the peppers before using them. I find they give a nice kick to mango salsa as one poster suggested. I also like to dice them up and add them to any kind of egg scramble when I want a little heat or will top sandwiches/burgers with the slices.

[virtualguthrie]

I love that you bought them just because the FDA says you shouldn't... regarding the latest scare and the others too, I don't believe a word of it. Just because of one outbreak, everyone thinks tomatoes or spinach or whatever is poison, it's tomfoolery.
That being said...
How about a mango or cucumber based salsa, maybe some gaucamole too?

[laliz]

I'm just the opposite; if they say don't buy it ~~ I don't. And I call my adult children, my niece (the pediatrician) and my nephew and tell them.

You only have to get sick once to not write it off as "tomfoolery" BTDT.

[northside food]

I have a problem with authority that isn't my own. =)

[revsharkie]

People don't think stuff through...they're not "poison" if you grow them in your backyard or otherwise know where they came from.

[mpalmer6c]

Such fun! What the heck, if those mushrooms look good, let's cook 'em

[torty]

Stuff 'em with cream cheese, wrap in bacon and grill or bake

[pamd]

2nd that one....and look how many TPW recently made!!! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/20...

[torty]

Thanks for providing the source- I am a doofus on linking- that is the recipe I was referring to

[mojoeater]

Better yet, chop 'em and mix with cream cheese. Stuff inside shrimp, wrap with bacon and grill.

[revsharkie]

O yes! My dad made a mess of those for us when we were having a big cookout at their house a couple years ago. Man, they were good.

[rworange]

They last quite a while. If you put them in a glass jar, they will last a minimum a month. It should give your tomatoes a chance to catch up. I also use Jalapenos in Etheopian wat.

[northside food]

That's good to know. I'm used to grocery store produce that rots to mush in a few days. I should have ripe tomatoes by the end of the week, so if they'll hang on, there won't be a problem.