665553 Sun Nov 08 07:45:42 -0800 2009 3 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 5164851 Hi! I'm attempting to make JR's Rough and Ready Chili today but keep hitting a brick wall. There's a few different chiles that are needed, and i'm so confused about them. I live in a big Mexican neighborhood, so finding them (hopefully) won't be a problem. But when I go to the stores, they aren't labeled New Mexico or California. Here's the chile's I need... 1 green Ortega pepper, remove seeds and dice fine 1/2 ounce California chili powder 1/2 ounce New Mexico powder Now from what I read, the Ortega pepper is actually the guys name, which is now a company. The Ortega green peppers are in a can. Now the California and New Mexico powder...don't they both come from Anaheim peppers? If this is the case, why are they listed separately and not just together as "Anaheim"? Thanks in advanced for any clarification on this! Sun Nov 08 07:45:42 -0800 2009 42354 wiz561 1 5164908 "Ortega," "Anaheim," and "Hatch" chiles are all so closely related I doubt there is anyone alive who can tell which is which when they are cooked in a dish. Early 20th century there was a research project at New mexico State University, in Las Cruces, to develop a uniformly hot chile. One of the researchers, Mr. Ortega, left the project and moved to Anaheim, California. He took seeds with him and had some success. A few years later, he returned to NMSU, and the research facility was in Hatch, New Mexico. The research continues and there are a whole bunch of peppers identified by individual names, but that all come from the same family. So... In your recipe, you could use ANY of these chiles in their fresh form, or you can use Ortega OR Hatch canned chiles. It's up to you. As for the chile powders, good luck! My guess is that the flavor of the individual powders will vary from vendor to vendor. Maybe someone at one of the Hispanic markets near you can be of more help. Hope your dish turns out fabulous! Sun Nov 08 08:12:23 -0800 2009 5164851 112096 Caroline1 1 5164991 Looks like the dominant chile flavor is 'Gebhardt(R) chili powder' (2 oz). The other powders are 1/2 oz each - I suspect that you and your guests wouldn't tell whether you used the exact mix that he calls for or not. Even 'New Mexico powder' is ambiguous. You'll find references to mild NM chiles, and to hot ones. Apparently competition cooks experiment with various combinations of powders, till they find one that they like. Many prefer commercial powders for consistency, as opposed to reconstituting whole dried chiles. As for the Ortega, I suspect any mild fresh green chile would work. Anaheim would be easiest to find. Or go with the canned. These peppers all provide the mild base flavor. It's the pequin that provides the heat in this recipe. If you are shopping in a Mexican Chicago neighborhood, it should be easy to find the whole dried pequin. The dried ground chile (in cello packages) is most likely from anchos, especially if it is dark, almost black, red. Using a oz of that instead of the NM and CA would work, even if the taste isn't exactly like JRs. Sun Nov 08 09:13:54 -0800 2009 5164851 12139 paulj 1 5165148 Thank you all for the info, especially the history of ortega. It makes it a little overwhelming when you go to the store and there's 50 packages of all different kinds of dried peppers. For those on the southwest side of chicago, I went to Pete's Market, thinking I would have luck there. I am not an expert, but I couldn't find anything that looked like "New Mexico" or California dried peppers. My OCD was kicking in and I started to get overwhelmed with all the packages to choose from. So, this-morning, we went to Food 4 Less in Alsip, and surprisingly, they had the dried peppers. There's the New Mexico and California peppers. The California looks a tad bit redder, but that's really about it. Like you said, it's probably doubtful that you can taste a difference. Thank you again for all the info. The whole pepper thing is interesting because there are so many kinds, so many names, and all so colorful. One of these days, I will become a pepper expert. ;) Sun Nov 08 10:45:07 -0800 2009 5164851 42354 wiz561