Pepper question.

[texasgirl]

I am making my own salsa. I love the taste as it is right now,but, seems not to be hot enough for some of my extended family members. I am putting jalepenos and ceranos. I boiled them for about 15-20 minutes and then mixed them into the tomato mixture. What else can I use or do to make it hotter?

[GB]

Here is a scale of peppers according to their heat level.

[texasgirl]

Thanks GB. Do they change the taste or do they just make it hotter? I don't want a change in taste.

[Robo410]

a pepper like the habanero is extremely hot, but also fruity, not sour, so a little can be added and up the heat without changing the overal flavor. a salsa with habanero can raise a good sweat on a forehead fer sure.

[texasgirl]

Originally Posted by Robo410

a pepper like the habanero is extremely hot, but also fruity, not sour, so a little can be added and up the heat without changing the overal flavor. a salsa with habanero can raise a good sweat on a forehead fer sure.

Good!! I'll make them some and see if mine is as tame as they think!!

[jennyema]

TG

How come you boil them? I would think that might take out some of the heat.

To make the salsa hotter, you can use more jalepenos (IMO habs taste a lot different, though very nice) or do not remove the seeds and membranes.

Though the seeds themselves are not hot, they pick up capsaicin from the membranes.

[texasgirl]

My niece told me to boil them. In most peppers, when you boil them, it brings out the heat.

[GB]

Originally Posted by texasgirl

Thanks GB. Do they change the taste or do they just make it hotter? I don't want a change in taste.

Each pepper has it's own distinct taste. If you just want the heat then i would take Jenny suggestion and don't boil them. Also use the seeds and white membrane.

Your other option is to look for pure capsasin oil. It can be hard to find and it very dangerous if handled incorrectly. It is just the pure chemical that gives peppers their heat. It is all heat with no flavor at all. Once drop would be enough to raise the heat on a huge batch of salsa.

[jennyema]

I would think that boiling them would strip them of some of the capsaicin ... but I don't know if that's true.

First I've heard of it!

[texasgirl]

With my niece being Mexican, I just do what she tells me as far as this stuff. She makes the best salsa I ever had.

[jennyema]

Originally Posted by texasgirl

With my niece being Mexican, I just do what she tells me as far as this stuff. She makes the best salsa I ever had.

If its that good, I sure would, too!

I'd probably just throw in a few more peppers.

[texasgirl]

Originally Posted by jennyema

If its that good, I sure would, too!

I'd probably just throw in a few more peppers.

Thanks, I think I'll do that. I'll try the habaneros next time and see what happens

Please post your sala recipe just the way you make it. Thanks!

[Zereh]

Just adding peppers can change the way the salsa tastes since each pepper brings their own flavors and heat to a dish.

I always associated boiling peppers with reconstituting dried ones (watched my Hispanic girlfriend do this many a time). Usually this was done as a base for enchilada / mole sauces. Or she would boil various dried peppers to create a simple salsa that didn't have much more to it then the rehydrated peppers, some dried pepper flakes and salt. She always used some of the water the peppers were boiled in to get the right consistancy in the blender.

Broiling / roasting peppers was another thing she did frequently. Doing that would probably change the taste of the salsa some, because the peppers gain a somewhat smokey undertone without altering the heat of the pepper. I would think of it as a flavor enhancement though, not a distracting or overpowering flavor.

I never recall her boiling fresh ones. Though I'm sure there are as many ways to make salsa as there are ways to create a tomatoe sauce for pasta!


Z

[auntdot]

Have grown habaneros for the last two years, just a couple of plants, and gave the fruit away to folks who really like very hot food.

One of them made a salsa, for himself, he can eat the habaneros straight, and he put the stuff in the fridge with a note saying:DO NOT EAT THIS!!

Well, his ten year old son and buddy came home from school and they got into a dare/double dare kinda thing, and the buddy ate some and rubbed his eyes. The paramedics called the dad asking what poison he had put in the refrigerator.

The kid turned out OK, but was not very happy for quite a while.

We like hot, and actually fairly hot, and grow a variety of peppers, but very definitely have our capsaicin limits, which we readily admit.

Habaneros are not jalapenos or serranos with a bit more kick, they are seriously hot.

And as people who truly do like peppers, we have heard about pure, crystalized capsaicin or the concentrated liquid stuff. This is dangerous stuff to have about, in my humble opinion, particularly if there are young-uns about.

Think the best thing to do is add a few more jalapenos or serranos. Can always up the kick with a bit of hot sauce. And remember, the heat from peppers in a dish increases with time.

Peppers, to us, add a lovely flavor, including hot peppers and we enjoy some steam.

But too much can just ruin a dish.

And remember, all jalapenos for example do not have the same amount of heat.

Depending upon the cultivar, the soil, and the weather, you can wind up with peppers having very different amounts of capsaicin.

Normally just pop jalapenos in my mouth. Picked one from our garden two years ago, had let it ripen to red, and it was during a drought, cut a small sliver and gave it to Mrs. Auntdot. Thought she was going to die. Tried a bit myself, and it was seriously hot.

Are sorta junior chili heads, in good standing I hope, but realize the really hot peppers should be treated with respect.

[Dina]

TXgirl,
Try this salsa recipe:
Habanero and/or cayenne peppers, to taste
1/2 onion, sauteed in olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
3-4 medium tomatoes, cooked and peeled
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

* 3 - 4 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil

Puree all ingredients in blender.

*Heat oil in medium pan, add sauce, cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Enjoy!

[texasgirl]

Thank you, everyone!!

[kleenex]

A Habanero mash should easily do the trick.

[Yakuta]

I guess like others said add more jalapenos or serranos but here is another suggestion which may sound different but works well.

Take Arabol chillies (dried) and soak them in warm water for an hour. Add the soaked chillies with some fresh garlic in a chopper and juice from a lime and chop/grind it finely.

Prepare your salsa using your favorite recipe and in addition to raw (I would not boil jalapenos or serranos) I would add a tsp of this garlic chilli paste or provide it on the side. People can stir in as much or as little as they want.

Note: Arabol are extremely spicy so pay attention to how much you add to the salsa, since you want it hot but still consumable.

[Mylegsbig]

Ive heard of people roasting peppers to bring out flavor. Under the broiler so their skin blackens and then you peel the skin and they are ever so delicious.

As others have said, i wouldn't boil them.