People, today we’re going to talk about what to do with all
of those leftover jalapeno peppers you’re probably harvesting from your gardens
right now. Time to make your own chili
powder! Here in the Northeast, they
should be ripe or slightly overripe. So,
go out to your garden, pick some of your faves and bring them in.
To start, this is a long process. You need to get that oven on at 200 degrees
F, and find yourself a no-stick cookie sheet.
That’s right, we’re going to dry them over the course of 4 hours. Slice each pepper in half, and put them in a
single layer on the sheet. Stick them in
the oven and let them dry out. Side note:
this goes a little faster with peppers that have aged a little bit and starting
to get the “wrinkles.”
OK, you’ve got dry peppers.
Now, you may think that, hey, you’ve got a coffee grinder! Put those bad boys in there and let ‘er
rip! I’m going to say that may the
dumbest idea ever. Why? Because the goddam grinder isn’t sealed and
you’re going to start choking on spicy mother-loving pepper dust as you pulse
those bad boys to oblivion. BE A HERO, DO
NOT BE A ZERO…get out the trusty mortar and pestle and work for your art, you
weenie. Get the grind going. Don’t worry about being super-efficient,
especially where the seeds come in. Just
get it down to a powder-ish level. How
do you know when you’re done? When your
forearms look like a longshoreman or Popeye, you’re pretty much there.
The finished product is spicy as all hell and perfect for
seasoning meats, soups and sauces, and for the uber-brave dusting on your tuna
sandwich. Note: DO NOT TOUCH ANY BODY
PART YOU DON’T WANT HAVING A 6-HOUR TINGLE GOING ON! I can’t stress this enough, people, use a
liberal amount of soap to get both your cooking equipment clean AND your
hands. And, if you didn’t heed my advice
about the grinder, well, look forward for a super-burn tomorrow AM when you go
for your regular cup of joe! Don’t say I
didn’t warn you!
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