LITTLE
LITTLE FLAVOR KICK TO FOOD, BUT OTHERS ARE SO HOT THEY CAN BE
DOWNRIGHT PAINFUL.
BUT WHATEVER KIND YOU
MIGHT GROW IN YOUR
GARDEN, YOU KNOW THAT
THE FLAVOR JUST CAN'T
BE BEAT.
TODAY ON YOU CAN
GROW IT, GARDEN
MASTER JIM DUTHIE TELLS
US A LITTLE MORE ABOUT
ALL THE DIFFERENT KINDS
OF PEPPERS AND HOW
HOT THEY CAN GET.
AND HE SHOWS US HOW
EASY IT IS TO ROAST
PEPPERS YOURSELF AT
HOME.
HOME.
SOME
SOME PEOPLE SHY AWAY FROM HOT PEPPERS BECAUSE OF THAT SPICY
BURN, BUT FOR OTHER
PEOPLE, THE HOTTER THE
BETTER.
WHAT GIVES A PEPPER ITS
HOTNESS IS SOMETHING
CALLED CAPSAICIN,
WHICH IS FOUND MAINLY
IN THE SEEDS AND THE
OILS OF THE PEPPERS. IT'S
AN IRRITANT FOR
MAMMALS, INCLUDING
HUMANS, AND PRODUCES
A SENSATION OF BURNING
IN ANY TISSUE WITH
WHICH IT COMES INTO
CONTACT, INCLUDING THE
SKIN, THEY EYES, AND
ESPECIALLY THE LIPS AND
THE TONGUE. CAPSAICIN
IS THE MAIN INGREDIENT
IN PEPPER SPRAY.
THERE'S ACTUALLY A
SCALE THAT MEASURES
THE HOTNESS OF VARIOUS
TYPES OF PEPPERS. IT'S
CALLED THE SCOVILLE
HEAT UNIT SCALE, AND IT
WAS DEVELOPED BY A
CHEMIST NAMED WILBUR
SCOVILLE BACK IN 1912.
THE SCALE RANGES FROM
ZERO SCOVILLE HEAT
UNITS, OR S-H-U'S, WHICH
IS
IS THE
IS THE LEVEL OF A BELL PEPPER, TO OVER ONE MILLION S-H-U'S FOR A
VARIETY CALLED THE
GHOST PEPPER. I DON'T
EVEN WANT TO THINK
ABOUT HOW HOT THAT
ONE IS. AND THERE ARE
EVEN A FEW OTHERS
HOTTER THAN THAT.
ANAHEIMS ARE THE
COMMON GREEN CHILI.
THEY COMBINE A SWEET
PEPPER TASTE WITH JUST
A LITTLE BIT OF HEAT.
THEY'RE LONG AND
NARROW AND ARE
USUALLY HARVESTED
BEFORE THEY TURN RED.
YOU'LL FIND THEM USED
IN LOTS OF TEX-MEX
DISHES. THE HEAT LEVEL
ON THE SCOVILLE SCALE IS
FAIRLY LOW, AROUND 500
TO 1000.
POBLANO PEPPERS ARE A
LITTLE LARGER WITH A
MILD FLAVOR. THEY'RE
OFTEN USED IN MAKING
CHILE RELLENOS. THEIR
HEAT RATING IS JUST A BIT
HIGHER, AROUND 1000 TO
2000.
THEN COMES THE
JALAPENO, UP TO
AROUND 3000 TO 8000
S-H-U'S. THEY'RE
SMALLER THAN
ANAHEIMS AND
POBLANOS, BUT MORE
FLESHY, AND THEY OFTEN
TURN VERY DARK OR RED
AS THEY RIPEN. I LIKE THE
EXTRA ZIP THEY GIVE TO
SALSA. SOMETIMES
THEY'RE PICKLED, STUFFED,
CHOPPED OR EVEN DRIED.
FINALLY, FOR A LITTLE
EXTRA KICK, SERRANO'S
HAVE A HEAT RATING OF
ABOUT 10,000 TO 20,000
ON THE SCALE. OTHER
PEPPERS LIKE CAYENNES
AND HABANEROS RANK
EVEN HIGHER, UP TO
HALF-A-MILLION S-H-U'S.
KEEP YOUR PEPPERS
PICKED AS THEY RIPEN,
AND THAT WILL
ENCOURAGE MORE
PEPPERS TO DEVELOP ON
THE PLANTS. YOU CAN
BUY CANNED CHILIES IN
THE STORE, BUT IF YOU
GROW YOUR OWN, YOU'LL
LOVE THE FLAVOR FROM
ROASTING THEM
YOURSELF AT HOME. IT'S
NOT THAT HARD. I'LL
SHOW YOU HOW TO
ROAST SOME ANAHEIM
GREEN CHILIES IN YOUR
OWN OVEN.
YOU CAN DO IT OVER AN
OPEN FLAME OR A BBQ
GRILL, BUT THE EASIEST
WAY IS IN THE BROILER OF
YOUR OVEN.
PREHEAT THE BROILER TO
ABOUT 450 DEGREES AND
SET THE OVEN RACK
ABOUT 4-6 INCHES BELOW
THE HEATING ELEMENT.
WASH THE PEPPERS AND
DRY THEM OFF WITH A
TOWEL.
ARRANGE THE CHILIES IN
A SINGLE LAYER ON A
FOIL-LINED BAKING SHEET.
ROAST THEM UNDER THE
BROILER FOR ABOUT 3 TO
5 MINUTES, UNTIL THE
SKIN IS CHARRED AND
BLISTERED.
THEN, USING TONGS, FLIP
THE CHILIES OVER AND
BROIL THEM ON THE
OTHER SIDE FOR ANOTHER
3 TO 5 MINUTES, AGAIN
UNTIL THE SKIN IS
BLACKENED AND
BLISTERED.
WHEN THE CHILIES ARE
DONE, REMOVE THEM
FROM THE BROILER AND
PUT THEM INTO A PLASTIC
ZIPLOCK BAG. LET THE
CHILIES SIT FOR 15-20
MINUTES IN THEIR OWN
STEAM. THIS WILL
LOOSEN THE SKIN AND
MAKE PEELING MUCH
EASIER.
REMOVE THE PEPPERS
ONE AT A TIME AND PULL
OFF THE LOOSENED SKIN.
YOU MAY WANT TO WEAR
GLOVES IF YOU'RE PEELING
QUITE A FEW OR IF YOUR
SKIN IS SENSITIVE, OR DO
IT UNDER RUNNING
WATER. USE A KNIFE TO
REMOVE ANY STUBBORN
BITS OF SKIN.
THEN LET THEM COOL.
YOU CAN THEN FREEZE
THEM WHOLE TO USE
LATER, OR IF YOU'RE
GOING TO USE THEM
RIGHT AWAY, CUT OFF THE
STEMS AND SLICE THEM
OPEN LENGTHWISE, AND
REMOVE THE SEEDS WITH
A KNIFE OR SPOON. YOU
CAN SLICE THEM OR CHOP
THEM UP, OR PUT THEM
BACK IN A FREEZER BAG
TO USE LATER.
THESE ROASTED CHILIES
ARE GREAT ADDED TO
SCRAMBLED EGGS,
CORNBREAD, NACHOS,
AND ALL KINDS OF DISHES
WHERE YOU WANT A
LITTLE TASTE OF THE
SOUTHWEST. DEPENDING
ON YOUR TASTE, YOU CAN
FIND
FIND CHILIES AND PEPPERS AS MILD, OR AS HOT, AS YOU WANT. AND,
AS ALWAYS, YOU CAN
GROW IT. FOR IDAHO'S
NEWS CHANNEL SEVEN,
I'M
I'M JIM
I'M JIM DUTHIE. CHILE PEPPERS ARE NATIVE TO CENTRAL AND
SOUTH AMERICA, AND
WERE INTRODUCED TO
ASIA IN THE 1500'S.
TODAY THEY DOMINATE
THE WORLD SPICE TRADE
... AND INDIA IS NOW THE
LARGEST PRODUCER OF
CHILES IN THE WORLD.
MOST PEPPERS WILL
GROW WELL HERE IN
SOUTHWEST IDAHO,