Howdy,
I was wondering if anyone has good ideas of how to dry (ripened) jalapenos so they don't lose that nice red color? I have tried to make chipotle powder out fo garden jalapenos, but it seems more brown than the red you get when you buy the stuff (doesn't quite taste like commercial product either, but that's another story).
Thanks,
Jarrad
Hi Jarred,
Jalepenos are usually picked while they are still green. Once they turn red they lose some of their flavor. They are not particularly good for drying, but they do freeze well. chipotle is another type of pepper, so that may explain you difference in flavor. I have had very good luck drying cayenne peppers. In fact, you can just leave them out on the counter and they dry out just fine.
No... chipotles are nothing more than smoked jalapenos.
As for maintaining color when drying. I don't think that's at all possible. You're removing the moisture content which is going to deepen and darken the color. Lord only knows that's in the stupidmarket stuff.
If you pick a jalapeno green, and allow it to ripen *after* picking, it does not lose flavor, it just never had much to start with; but it also won't develop that nice ripe flavor that a jalapeno ripened naturally on the plant has. Of course, if you're buying peppers from a grocery store, you're starting with a pretty tasteless product anyway, and can only expect things to go down hill from there.
Penelope
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