Jalapeno Peppers
Cooking Tips
- Due to their capsaicin content (the chemical that gives the peppers their heat), working with jalapenos can irritate skin. Consider wearing latex gloves or wash hands frequently. And avoid touching your eyes!
- Discard seeds if you prefer a milder jalapeno flavor, or if you want to bring out the sweetness of ripe red jalapenos.
- Try mixing a couple of chopped jalapenos, mushrooms, bacon, and tomatoes with shredded pepper jack cheese in a quiche.
- Throw a handful of corn kernels and one or two jalapenos into the batter for corn muffins.
- Simmer ripe, red jalapenos in a half cup of sunflower oil until the oil begins to turn red. Add a pinch of sugar and ground cumin, then strain and cool. Use the oil to top pizza and pasta or to cook burgers and eggs.
Details
The most recognizable of all the chilies (but not the hottest, by far--only 2,000 on the Scoville scale compared to 200,000 for a habanero), Jalapeno peppers are an easy way to add a little life to your cooking. Originating in Mexico, they actually grow quite well in Wisconsin, though they are fussy—they have a long maturation so must be started indoors, and they don’t tolerate cold weather at all. They can range from mild to hot, topping out at 8,000 units on the Scoville spice scale. Jalapenos may be green or bright red when fully ripe. Some pepper connoisseurs prefer the fully ripe red jalapenos for the added complexity of sweet with the heat.
Avoid peppers with bruising or soft, wrinkled skin, but don’t confuse dry lines for a blemish. They are signs of a mature pepper and will increase the longer a pepper is allowed to ripen.
Fun fact: Though it’s counter-intuitive, spicy foods actually help you cool off in hot weather by opening up your pores and nasal passages.
Nutrition: Jalapenos are a good source of vitamins, especially Vitamin A. They also contain a high amount antioxidants and have been used as an appetite suppressant, to fight headaches and to relieve sinus congestion.
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