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Post by heavyhitterokra on Aug 5, 2020 12:20:06 GMT -6
Aji (Columbian Style Fresh Salsa) This is a recipe from the New York Times Colombian food is typically not spicy on its own. Instead, a hot sauce called ají — also the Colombian word for chilies — is served table-side.INGREDIENTS1 packed cup cilantro leaves, and tender stems½ small white or yellow onion3 scallions1 serrano or Fresno chile, or jalapeño½ ripe beefsteak tomato Kosher salt (to taste) Lime wedges, for serving alongside this dishPREPARATIONFinely mince the cilantro, onion, scallions, and chile, by hand or chop roughly, depending on your preference. Then, pulse in a food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl.Working directly in the medium bowl and using a flat palm to press the cut side of the tomato against the large holes of a box grater, grate the tomato until you’re left with just the skin. (The skin should protect your hand from the grater.) Discard the skin.Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and a few tablespoons of water. Squeeze with lime juice to taste. Stir to combine. The ají should be quite thin in texture. Add more water or tomato juice as necessary. Taste and season with more salt, black pepper, and garlic powder, or fresh, minced garlic if desired. Finished ají can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.Enjoy
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Post by glen on Aug 9, 2020 1:32:15 GMT -6
That sounds very mild but good. Throw in a few ajicito peppers also just for fun. In Panama a C chinense pepper is an ahi. They might call serrano or Jalepeno an ahi as well. A big sweet pepper is called a pimiento. I have never heard Bercy use the term ahi to describe a salsa. She is Columbiana. Spanish terminology is going to vary depending on where the speaker is from though.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Aug 9, 2020 3:09:14 GMT -6
In this case, the speaker is probably from New York As the recipe was copied from the New York Times. Go figure ...
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Post by macmex on Aug 9, 2020 5:05:37 GMT -6
Both tastes and terms vary widely in Latin America, from region to region. In Mexico there are enclaves where the people don't like their food very hot and then there are places where they want it as hot as they can get it. When I taught in a bible institute in Central Mexico it was fun to hear students and alumni tell stories about food experiences in other regions. One poor fellow, who didn't eat hot food told how he stayed with a family from a "hotter-the-better zone." He was somewhat humbled as he sat at the table, barely picking at his food, because of the Scoville units, and a 4 year old pushed her bowl out from her place and lisped, "Más." (More)
Another one which sticks in my memory is about a ministry team of Mexicans who went to participate in a Christian camp in Guatemala. There, hot food was so rare that they literally went through withdrawal symptoms. Finally, in a specialty store, they found a bottle of Tabasco sauce. Treasuring it, they carried it with them, while it lasted, passing it around, under the table, wherever they ate!
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Post by glen on Aug 10, 2020 17:35:32 GMT -6
Today, Bercy and I went for a walk. I asked Bercy to ask the neighbors if they would like some ahi picante. I have way more than I can use. We asked 4 family's before one older lady said yes. I dropped off a gallon bag of super hot peppers at her house today. She is going to find out that these peppers I left her are much hotter than the traditional Chombo ahi's that are available at the super market. Panama is not a spicey zone.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Aug 11, 2020 16:51:42 GMT -6
GREEN CHILE CORNBREAD Green Chile Cornbread Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 35 min Total Time 45 min Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS 1 cup all purpose flour 1 cup yellow cornmeal 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (optional) 2 large eggs 1/2 cup buttermilk (and more if needed) 1 stick (or 1/2 cup) melted unsalted butter, cooled slightly 1 cup roasted and chopped Green Chiles (approximately 4) 1 cup canned sweet corn kernels or thawed frozen corn (fire roasted corn is the best), drained DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 400.
Wash and dry green chiles. Put green chiles on the grill or over open flame on gas cooktop. Flip to roast chiles until charred on all sides. Remove chiles from heat and place in ziplock plastic bag or dish with plastic wrap on top. Allow to steam for 10-15 minutes. After steaming, remove chiles. Rub or peel charred skin off. After charred skin is removed, cut off top of chiles. Split open and remove all seeds. Dice and set aside.
Lightly butter a square pan or round cake pan.
Whisk dry ingredients together, set aside.
In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs, buttermilk, and cooled butter together. Stir in the chiles and corn.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, mixing just until combined.
Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Top with a few extra chopped chiles.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until risen, browned along the edges, and done in the center. You can check with a toothpick. Cool on a rack or serve hot from the pan with warm butter.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Aug 31, 2020 17:10:32 GMT -6
It's Sriracha time again! Every year about this time, as Autumn approaches, my jalapenos begin turning bright red and my thoughts turn to ways of saving them for Winter. A few years ago, I found a really good Siracha recipe that I shared on page one of this thread. Today, I'm going to copy/paste the web address to that step by step video, so folks can watch it again to refresh their memory.
www.allrecipes.com/video/3965/how-to-make-homemade-sriracha-sauce/?internalSource=picture_play&referringId=235276&referringContentType=recipe
Since I only make this stuff once per year, each year, I refresh my own memory by re-watching the video. Every Winter, I'm glad I did. Homemade sriracha using this guy's directions has turned out well every time.This year, I grew some big, fat, jalapenos!Mucho Nacho was the variety. They look really well suited for what I am planning to do to them this evening.
Making sriracha is about a week long process, but it's always well worth the effort and all the peppers and fresh garlic makes the kitchen smell amazing!
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Sept 15, 2020 17:31:36 GMT -6
Doggone Good! I just finished bottling up a six-pack of the sriracha that I've been fermenting over the past two weeks. It sure is some pretty stuff! The bottles were still hot from the stove and looked so delicious that I had to try some! I was eating some of it on a piece of nasty frozen pizza that we had left over from lunch, when our little house dog, "Chester" started begging me for a scrap of the crust, so I gave it to him with some of the sriracha sauce on his piece too. At first, he spat it out, then he cocked his head, looked back toward me, and kept smacking his mouth because it probably burned his little tongue. Then, he looked back at the sriracha soaked crust, cocked his head again, perked his ears at it and whined, eventually, he licked it one more time, then he picked it up in his mouth again and spit it out again ... Finally, on the third attempt, he ate it and immediately started begging me for another piece.I only gave him one more bite. He did the same thing that he did the first time, then, started begging for another piece. I didn't feed him anymore because I didn't want to mess up his little doggy guts, but it was funny as heck watching him eat what he did get. I think he'd get to where he liked it if I kept sneaking him a bite under the table every night.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Oct 2, 2020 13:18:30 GMT -6
Pickled Pepper Rings This is a recipe for making pickled pepper rings, using Ajicito Peppers instead of Banana Peppers. Ajicito Peppers are a variety of peppers similar to Banana Peppers in flavor, but having a more tangy flavor, which causes them to lend well to use in pork dishes, for pizza toppings, or to garnish sandwiches, or to decorate cheese balls, crab cakes, and other things.
Ingredients:
About 1 lb sweet or hot banana peppers 3 cups cider vinegar (5%) 2 cups of water 3 tsp. pickling salt 3 cloves garlic 3 Tbsp. mustard seed (optional) 1 1/2 Tbsp. celery seed (optional)
Instructions:
Sterilize canning jars and keep warm. Prepare a hot water bath.
Using gloves, wash and cut off the stems of the peppers. Slice peppers into 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick slices.
Place brine of vinegar, water, and pickling salt, in a medium saucepan and heat until boiling.
Add to each canning jar, 1/2 clove of garlic, 1 & 1/2 tsp. mustard seed (optional) and 3/4 tsp. celery seed (optional). Then add the pepper slices, making sure to leave 1/2" of headspace at the top of the jar.
Ladle the hot liquid into the jars, filling to cover the peppers, maintaining the 1/2" of headspace. Use a plastic utensil to remove any air bubbles, adding more liquid as needed.
Place lid on jar and finger tighten the ring. Process in a hot water bath that is already close to boiling for 10 minutes for half-pints or pint jars. * Adjust for altitude as necessary.
Remove jars from heat and let cool in a place with no breeze for about 24 hours. Check to make sure the jars are sealed prior to storing. If any jars did not seal (the lid bounces up and down), place in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks.
Recipe Notes: The pepper rings will not be as crisp as store-bought banana rings as there are no preservatives in this recipe.
In order to make sure they are as crisp as they can be, only use fresh-picked, undamaged pepper rings and be sure that the hot water bath is near boiling when you place the jars in the canner to avoid over-processing them. Recipe courtesy of Old World Garden Farms
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Post by glen on Oct 2, 2020 16:13:51 GMT -6
I tried to make a fermented hot sauce the other day. I completely failed. I need to follow directions a lot better I guess. My ferment got moldy and I have to throw away the entire batch. I am also making sourkraut. This looks like it will actually turn out well. I tasted it today and it tastes good. It just needs to ferment more. If I enjoy this sauerkraut I plan to make it regularly. It is very inexpensive to make and it is very healthy.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Oct 2, 2020 21:28:01 GMT -6
I ended up pickling 17 jars of peppers this afternoon. They sure are purdy!
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Post by rdback on Oct 3, 2020 7:12:16 GMT -6
I tried to make a fermented hot sauce the other day. I completely failed. I need to follow directions a lot better I guess. My ferment got moldy and I have to throw away the entire batch. I am also making sourkraut. This looks like it will actually turn out well. I tasted it today and it tastes good. It just needs to ferment more. If I enjoy this sauerkraut I plan to make it regularly. It is very inexpensive to make and it is very healthy. Fermenting in your climate might be a challenge with the heat and humidity, but hopefully you can do it.
Sauerkraut is excellent! I always have a jar in the fridge. A hot-link sausage with spicy brown mustard smothered with a pile of homemade sauerkraut is hard to beat. Then there's pork loin, kielbasa and sauerkraut with a side of black-eyed peas for New Year's - yum. Anyway, I ferment mine for 3 weeks, then put it in the fridge. It will last for months, if not years. You can tell when it's mature by the color. It starts out green, but will slowly change to a tan color. That's when to refrigerate. It might happen a lot faster in your conditions.
As far as fermented hot sauce goes, Smokenfire over at THP has a nice baseline recipe with good step-by-step instructions. I have it around here somewhere. Happy to dig it up, if you're interested.
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Post by glen on Oct 3, 2020 12:45:03 GMT -6
Rick, if you don't mind, send me that recipe for the fermented peppers. I have enough to try again already outside. I have a lot of hot peppers coming from my older plants. I am just about to go outside and pick some. I mean, it's continuous production. The Purple Thunder plants are just crazy as far as production goes. I have plants that were planted last December that are huge and just continuously produce peppers. Plus I have the next generation of Purple Thunder just chugging along. The last time I fermented peppers I added a brine to the peppers. That failed. I want to try making a mash with just salt. Maybe a little water. I added about 2.5 cups of brine to the chopped peppers last time. I started smelling a greenish smell fairly quickly. I thought this green smell would be temporary but it wasn't. The mash bubbled quite a bit for 2 days. Then, stopped. Then a day or so later white yeast appeared. I skimmed that off. I couldn't get all of it. The green smell stayed with the mash. I then tried making sauce out of this mash. I blended it using the mash and all of the brine. Then I mixed vinegar in with it and boiled it on the stove for about 15 minutes. Then I let it cool. I strained it and put this in the fridge.
My recipe is very spicy. And tastes awful. I am about to take all of it out of the fridge now and throw it out.
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Post by glen on Oct 3, 2020 13:02:49 GMT -6
Rick, the process of fermenting goes much faster in Panama due to the higher temperatures. Also, mold and mildew and yeast can form easier. Now is a good time to try this again because of the continuous cloud cover or over-cast. Temperatures feel much cooler now. Its 2 pm and we have no sun outside at all which is typical and its 86 degree's F in the house. It actually feels very cool even though it isn't. I tasted the sauerkraut yesterday and it is good but it is obvious that its not ready. Its too crunchy and not sour enough. It's been one week. I suspect that in the next 3 to 5 days it will be ready. For this kraut recipe, I didn't add water. Just salt. The cabbage secreted plenty of water. Hot peppers may not emit much water. I don't know yet. I am wondering if I can just chop the peppers up small and add salt? Or, if water needs to be added? I need to do some research. Once I have a good recipe for fermented peppers I can make a good sauce. I don't add much to my hot sauce. Its so spicy that extra ingredients are not needed. Just peppers, white vinegar and salt. Maybe a little sugar to tone down harshness. That's it. My last recipe had fouled fermented peppers in it. A disaster.
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Post by rdback on Oct 3, 2020 17:12:48 GMT -6
...Rick, if you don't mind, send me that recipe for the fermented peppers...
Glen, here's Dru's recipe. You can certainly change the quantities etc, just maintain the same ratios.
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THP:SmokenFire Here is the ferment I finished yesterday.
Recipe step by step:
You need:
1 half gallon (64oz) mason jar, airlock, large mouth band and,
1 pound red ripe jalapenos or fresnos or Hungarian finger hots (this batch done w jalapenos) - stemmed 8 ounces habaneros - stemmed 1 pound carrots - trimmed 1 pound onions - quartered 6 ounces of garlic cloves - skinned 40 grams of canning or pickling salt (my scale does both grams and ounces. 40 grams = 1.41 ounces)
1. Trim and stem your ingredients. Be smart and wear gloves. I use our meat scissors to stem the peppers and cut them into smaller pieces. 2. Throw everything into the food processor and press play (note this recipe amount requires 2 batches in normal sized food processor) 3. Add salt while machine is running 4. Pour out mash into large bowl and mix well - look for any larger chunks and grind em up fine 5. Spoon into sanitized jar and seal with airlock 6. Wait about 4 weeks. Monitor mash throughout that time period to make sure its doing all the right things. 7. Total time needed: About 10 minutes to stem and trim, about 10 minutes to process and jar. Zero to kick-ass in 20 minutes!
Provided everything went right* this fermented mash can then be moved to the fridge as is after 4 weeks. You can spoon pure lovely joy outta the jar for however long it takes you to finish it OR you can take the whole batch and cook/food mill/cook/blend/bottle into hot sauce as so many around here like to do (myself included). This recipe usually makes about 70 or so ounces, which will fill one 1/2 gallon mason jar all the way with a little left over to enjoy until the batch is ready. Enjoy!
To Process and Bottle:
Mash cooked for about 20 mins on high heat - enough to get a good simmer but not a boil. Then food mill - after the mill it was a good thickness so I just re-heated to fill the bottles - maybe 5-10 min - and kept it at low heat while bottling.
The spent mash is reserved and then put on the fruit leather trays of my dehydrator. This completes the circle and means zero waste for your entire batch of mash! This final step results in a chili powder that is quite unusual and tasty. This exact powder blend is my secret ingredient for my version of Nashville 'Hot' Chicken.
No starter - all natural with what's present on the peppers. Note: Do not cut the salt levels for this ferment - the salt is the sentinel that keeps everything safe. A strong brine(5.4%) is generally recommended for fermenting cucumbers/pickles as they are prone to mold growth.
A 3.6% brine should be used for all other vegetable lacto-fermentation recipes, such as: peppers, carrots, garlic, mixed vegetables, sauerkraut, beets, green beans, broccoli
Brine Formulas (by volume measurements):
5.4% brine formula = 6 tablespoons salt to 8 cups water. 3.6% brine formula = 4 tablespoons salt to 8 cups water. 2.5% brine formula = 1 teaspoon salt to 1 cup water (use 2.5% for supplementing sauerkraut & beets which are considered self -brining)
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