Serrano chiles
#11
  Re: (...)
Even though Honduras has some excellent produce, it's surprising how few types of peppers the stores have: bell peppers (green, red, orange, and yellow), poblanos, jalapeños, and Scotch bonnets. Things like guajillos, Anaheims (what most people know as the basic "green chile"), cubanelles, banana peppers, New Mexicos, bird chiles, and pepperoncini are just not to be found, although some people grown their own tabascos.

Today, however, one of the grocery stores had beautiful serrano chiles in one-pound packages! Needless to say: I bought some. I'll definitely cut up some of these with some tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lemon juice to make a salsa. Also, at one time, I found a recipe for making Tabasco-style sauce (but it needed a LOT more tabasco chiles than I had at the time), and I think I'll try using the same recipe with serranos, instead.

Other than the above, do any of you have any favourite, tested recipes that use serrano peppers? I already searched the forum, and didn't find very much (in fact, the longest discussion was about a recipe that used serrano ham (also very good, in it's own right), but not the peppers.

Any other ideas?

Thanks!
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#12
  Re: Serrano chiles by labradors (Even though Honduras...)
Okay Rob, now i have a few questions about you. Of course you don't have to answer if they are too personal. Do you live in Honduras by yourself? Who do you cook your wonderful meals for? Of course cooking for yourself is certainly fine. I just think it would be a shame to have others around you missing some of the dishes you make.

Still, I think you are having quite a unique experience by living in a foreign country. Very exciting.

Wish I could help you with pepper ideas. We don't get much variety here, so I seldom cook them and barely know the difference between them.
"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."
Laura
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#13
  Re: Re: Serrano chiles by luvnit (Okay Rob, now i have...)
Most of my cooking is for myself, but I do make a few things for some friends, occasionally, and also sell a few things (including pizzelles, pizzas, biscotti, cookies, muffins, and soups) now and then. In particular, one set of friends is a couple who own an art gallery (the wife in that couple is one of the painters) where they also have a little café and have just opened a bed and breakfast, and they buy many of the above items to serve to their customers.
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#14
  Re: Re: Serrano chiles by labradors (Most of my cooking i...)
I think Jean used to make a serrano pesto.
Practice safe lunch. Use a condiment.
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#15
  Re: Re: Serrano chiles by Lorraine (I think Jean used to...)
good memory, Lorraine...how old are you???

Yes, here's my serrano pesto, Labs and I think I have a couple other favorties - just love serranos.


SERRANO PESTO QUESADILLAS

Recipe By: a Chef's Journey

Vegetable oil
4 10" flour tortillas
6 ozs shredded pepper Jack cheese (1 ½ cups)
6 ozs Crab -- canned & drained or fresh
1 can diced mild Ortega green chilies -- (4 oz.)
3 Tbsps minced cilantro
3 green onions -- chopped, including green part
GARNISH: Sour Cream and Serrano Pepper Pesto
Serrano Pepper Pesto:
8 medium Serrano peppers
11 med. cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsps cilantro

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Arrange 2 tortillas on heavy large baking sheet, rub one side with oil and turn the tortillas over. Sprinkle each tortilla with half the cheese, crab, chilies, cilantro & green onions.

Top each with another tortilla, pressing to adhere; rub the top tortilla with oil.
Bake quesadillas until cheese melts & filling is heated, about 8 min.

Transfer quesadillas to plates; cut into wedges.
Serve topped with the pesto and sour cream

Serrano Pepper Pesto:
Put all the pesto ingredients in a food processor and and process just until the the pesto is mixed together and finely chopped.


Description:
"I discovered' Serrano peppers while we were living in Issaquah, Washington in the late 1980s and I spent months putting them in everything I could think of. This pesto was the best, I think."
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SESAME EGGPLANT SALSA

2 lbs eggplant
3/4 c green onions -- packed, minced
2 1/2 Tbsps fresh ginger -- minced
2 Tbsps garlic -- minced
1 sm Serrano pepper -- minced
3 Tbsps light brown sugar
2 tsps fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbsps tamari or soy sauce
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 tsps dark sesame oil
3/4 c tomatoes -- chopped, seeded & peeled
3/4 c fresh cilantro -- packed, minced
fresh cilantro for garnish
Sliced green onions

Prepare the Pita Crisps (if using) up to 3 days ahead.
Preheat oven to 425°

Cut stem ends off eggplants & prick well all over w/knife.
Place on a baking sht & roast for 30-45 min. depending on size.
Turn at least once while roasting.
The eggplant is done when a fork sinks easily into the thickest part.
It s/b completely soft. Remove from oven &, when cool enuf, scrape the creamy pulp from the skin into food processor. Pulse quickly just till it is pureed.

Combine the minced gr. onion, ginger, garlic, & chile in a bowl.

Combine the b.sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, & tamari (or soy sauce) in a small bowl & whisk to blend.

Place a large sauté pan over med-hi heat & swirl the canola oil around to coat the pan.
Add the gr. onion mixture & sauté till softened w/out coloring, ~45 seconds.
Add the sugar mixture & bring to a simmer, stirring rapidly.
Reduce heat & add eggplant puree.
Stir well to blend & heat thru, 1-2 min., stirring constantly.
Remove from heat & stir in sesame oil, tomatoes, & cilantro & fold to blend.

This may be served immediately, but it tastes better if made 1-2 days before & refrigerated. Bring it back to room temp. before serving.

Yield:
"4 c"
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Serving Ideas : Serve w/Pita Crisps (see recipe)
Garnish the top w/minced cilantro & sliced gr. onions & surround w/Pita Crisps (or chips of some sort)

NOTES : Best if made at least one day in advance.

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CILANTRO & SERRANO CHILE RICE

Cilantro and Serrano Chile Rice

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup white aromatic rice (Texmati brand)
1 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 medium white onion, finely minced
1 to 2 Serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and finely minced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Preparation:

In a 1-quart saucepan over high heat, combine the chicken stock, salt and rice. Bring to a boil, stir well and cover the pan. REDUCE the heat to very low and simmer until all the water is absorbed, about 15 to 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl using a wooden spoon, mix the butter, minced onion, Serrano chile and cilantro until combined.

Using a fork or two chopsticks, stir the cilantro mixture into the hot rice until the butter melts and the ingredients are well distributed. Cover the pan and let stand for 5 minutes.

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Hey ya'all, remember SweeTooth????? I sure miss her.

RASPBERRY SALSA - SweeTooth

1/2 cup fresh raspberries - washed
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 Serrano peppers - minced fine
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped -- seeded tomato
2 tsp. fresh chopped cilantro
1 pinch salt

-Gently combine all the salsa ingredients, carefully mashing some of the raspberries, but leaving a few whole.

-Allow to set for at least 1 hour.

Serve with spring rolls
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hmmmmm, I seem to have gotten carried away... have fun, Labs and be sure to freeze those you can't use fast enough.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#16
  Re: Re: Serrano chiles by cjs (good memory, Lorrain...)
Lots of great ideas, there. Due to personal preferences or the lack of ingredient availability, the only one of those recipes I'll be able to use completely is the one for the rice (and I have real basmati rice, so I won't have to resort to Texmati).

The pesto does sound really good, but I'll probably use it with something other than those quesadillas, since real crab meat is out of my current budget range, and I haven't seen the imitation crab in several months. Maybe I'll try it with some other fish, when I get a little extra money. Otherwise, it could be interesting to use with chicken on a pizza.
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#17
  Re: Re: Serrano chiles by labradors (Lots of great ideas,...)
that pesto is good on anything!
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#18
  Re: Re: Serrano chiles by cjs (that pesto is good o...)
Okay. I have reserved the necessary serranos to make the pesto, rice, salsa, and another salsa, and have just made a "Tabasco" sauce recipe, but substituting the rest of the serranos in place of the tabascos. Here is the recipe for that one:

Homemade Tabasco Style Sauce

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound fresh red tabasco peppers, chopped [this is where I substituted the green serranos]
  • 2 cups distilled white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
Directions:
  1. Combine the chiles and the vinegar in a saucepan and heat.
  2. Stir in the salt and simmer for 5 minutes.
  3. Remove from the heat, cool, and place in a blender.
  4. Purée until smooth and place in a glass jar.
  5. Allow to steep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
  6. Remove, strain the sauce, and adjust the consistency by adding more vinegar if necessary.
I did take a quick taste with the tip of my tongue on the spoon that I used to scrape the last of the mixture out of the blender, and I think this is going to be REALLY good. I'll wait the indicated two weeks, however, before I give you my final evaluation.

Two years ago, I had chosen this recipe from the web to try to make "Tabasco" sauce with some tabasco chiles someone had given me. Unfortunately, they were SO light that I didn't have anywhere near a pound, so I scaled the recipe down proportional to the number of peppers I DID have. The result was not enough for the blender to be able to do anything, so I just chopped it up a bit more and put it onto some chicken I had already cooked. It was FANTASTIC, and I wish I could get enough of those chiles to make the sauce. Thus, I decided to borrow the recipe for use with these serranos. So far, so good, but we'll see how the final product turns out in two weeks.

In addition to making this sauce, I will also make the recipes of Jean's that I already mentioned, plus one other salsa that caught my fancy:

Salsa de Molcajete (Mortar and Pestle)

Ingredients:
  • 5 Chiles Serranos
  • 2 ripe tomatoes
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
  1. On a comal or iron skillet, roast the chiles and tomatoes for 8 minutes or until they are soft.
  2. Peel off and discard the burned skin from the tomatoes.
  3. In a mortar or molcajete, grind the chiles and garlic.
  4. When they are chopped, add the tomatoes and continue grinding.
  5. Add the salt.
Pretty simple, but sounds good - similar to the Herdez Salsa Casera that I love so much, so I have to try it.

I'll keep everyone posted on the progress and my opinions.

Here is the source where I found the "Tabasco" recipe, and here is the original source for the salsa recipe.
If blueberry muffins have blueberries in them, what do vegan muffins have?
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#19
  Re: Re: Serrano chiles by labradors (Okay. I have reserv...)
All saved and ready to try when I can. I'll be looking for updates when I check in so hope it comes out good.
"Ponder well on this point: the pleasant hours of our life are all connected, by a more or less tangible link, with some memory of the table."-Charles Pierre Monselet, French author(1825-1888)
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#20
  Re: Re: Serrano chiles by firechef (All saved and ready ...)
Many years ago I found a 'taco sauce' recipe that the whole family loved, but darn it, can't remember where it was/is. The ones you posted I think I'll have to play with.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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