Re: [CH] Chile de Arbol
Porter Banister (porter9@concentric.net)
Tue, 8 Dec 1998 17:24:55 -0500
Cameron Begged the Question:
>But I have to wonder at your comment about cayenne not being used fresh.
>Does this mean perhaps that you are unfamiliar with Indian food?
It was me who originally implied that cayennes are *mostly* consumed dried,
powdered, or in mash form made into Hot Sauce, however I did not mean
exclusively. I am very familiar with Indian cuisine (East 6th Street in
Manhattan was like a second home to me) and I was thinking mostly of Western
Hemisphere consumption of cayennes, which has got to be at least 10-to-1 not
fresh. So I wanted to know if Chile de Arbol is also mostly consumed in
dried and powdered forms. I have been throwing 2 whole fresh cayennes into a
pot of long-simmered Southern style green beans for many years, with
wonderful results, and was thinking perhaps I was missing out on similar
experiences with fresh Chile de Arbol. Would its thick skin prevent it from
imparting its smokey-hot flavor to a long-cooked pot of whatever when fresh?
In my non chile-head days, I still did the 2 cayenne deal to the green
beans, but usually left the chiles uneaten. Nowadays, I know better!
Porter