http://www.care2.com/greenliving/life-without-jalapenos.html
Hot News: Life Without Jalapeños
By Melissa Breyer, Senior Editor, Care2 Healthy and Green Living
The FDA just announced that a bacterial strain found on fresh jalapeños in a Texas distribution plant matched the strain responsible for the recent salmonella outbreak. Darn. Not only will this have major repercussions for people in the pepper and salsa business–but it is going to leave a gaping culinary void in my summer eating habits as my local farmers don’t seem to be in the jalapeño business!
I didn’t really care about the salmonella warnings for tomatoes. I mean, I am very sorry for the people who got sick, and for the tomato farmers, and the incredible waste that the scare provoked, but it didn’t affect me personally. I practically live on tomatoes in the summer, but the heirloom ones from my greenmarket weren’t on the list of ones to avoid.
But jalapeños, that’s another story. Cucumber salad with jalapeños? Jalapeño-basil pesto? Linguine with jalapeño-butter and Parmesan (my covert cooking-for-one meal)? My daily summer salsa? Adios.
Seriously, there’s something about that green, smoky bite of jalapeño–spicy but not too hot, a flash of fresh earthy edge. There’s nothing else quite like it. Jalapeños are my secret go-to warm weather ingredient, a subtle fire that sneaks in to balance the sweet and savory summer flavors.
So what now? Some sighing is in order. Followed by playing around with some new peppers, I suppose. Feeling like a traitor, but secretly optimistic, here’s what I’m looking at:
Ancho (Poblano): Called poblano when green and ancho when greenish black, these are fairly mild, but the heat can vary from pepper to pepper. The ancho is the sweetest of the dried chiles.
Anaheim: Mild Anaheim is one of the most commonly available chiles in the United States; they’re sweetish and a little smoky.
Chile de arbol: Related to the cayenne pepper, this long, skinny red pepper is hot.
Guajillo: These are dried chiles with shiny deep red skin and medium heat.
Hot wax chiles: Similar to jalapeños in their heat level and texture, maybe the best substitute?
Serrano: Small, about 1-1/12 inches long, serranos are hot and savory. The FDA has issued warnings about these chiles as well, but only because they look so similar to jalapeños–the concern is that people will mistake one for the other.
Habañeros: So insanely hot. The hottest of all peppers, but with a wonderfully unique flavor–just use cautiously.
So there will be some pepper experimenting in my kitchen. I’ll miss my jalapeños for a while, but maybe I’ll find a new chile to love.
I think I’ll get my feet wet with this Avocado, Corn and Poblano Salsa or this Smoky Tomato Salsa, and who knows what’s next? Oh wait, maybe this Chilled Creole Tomato Soup with ancho chiles! I’d love to hear about chile peppers and recipes that you adore, and how you plan on coping through a summer without jalapeños.
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33 comments
add your comment »there is no need to be sad about this situation with jalapeños. They are probably one of the easiest vegetables to grow...even if you don't have space for a "real" garden. What I mean is you could probably grom them in a large pot. =)
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it would be less of a problem all the way around if the FDA did it's job. I have a petition to support legislation which would track produce
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/food-safety
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I hate to be a hater, but the NIMBY attitude in this article is pathetic. If the heirloom tomatoes in the local market aren't a concern, then neither should be the local jalapenos. Let's use our brains and determine where the real hazards lie instead of relying on risky information. Remember that eating can be a risky business, fortunately we've got these great brain boxes attached to our digestive systems.
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Home grown veggies are really rather easy to do! Anyone how has a porch, patio, lanai, veranda or window ledge that has direct sunlight has the capabilities to grown veggies. Give it a try - you'll love the results.
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http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=222562
This recipe for Crab-Stuffed Poblanos with Mango Salsa totally rocks! I've made it several times.
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Life is not life without jalapenos. Washing is of course what most of us do, Fatima. I brought some fresh ones home from Mexico. They were good, but at that time I did get sick, I just didn't figure that the Jalapenos were at fault. Yep, they were washed, in fact 3 times...before I cut them, and twice after I cut them. So are the ones in the jars okay to eat? My son tells me that the ones in the jar are pickled and therefore no problem. So that means its okay to eat the ones in the jar???? Will start raising my own, but of course that means waiting till next year. Thanks for any input. U.P.
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First let me say that even though Plants like peppers are considered somewhat tropical and usually do better in hot climates we have an amazing variety at the farmers markets here in NorthEast Ohio. Last year I even tried a tiny little yellow pepper called a diablo... These babies are hotter than a Habenaro. The long red Italians have a nice heat and you could always put them on your grill with a little bit of smoky wood to get that smokiness. So give it a couple of weeks and try the market again.
Now for my theory about the Salmonella. Turtles were found a few years ago to bear Salmonella on their shells... Turtles love fresh vegetable gardens, we used to find whole famlies of turtles slowly but surely eating all of our tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers... So the pickers finding a few turtles in the fields picked them up and pitched them off to the side. Then of course went back to picking. The peppers have oils on their skins and retain some of the bacteria even though they are washed... Well its a theory...:) So give all your veggies a good wash, vinegar spray and water, and rub dry, before you make your salad and you will stand to stay a lot healthier!!
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First let me say that even though Plants like peppers are considered somewhat tropical and usually do better in hot climates we have an amazing variety at the farmers markets here in NorthEast Ohio. Last year I even tried a tiny little yellow pepper called a diablo... These babies are hotter than a Habenaro. The long red Italians have a nice heat and you could always put them on your grill with a little bit of smoky wood to get that smokiness. So give it a couple of weeks and try the market again.
Now for my theory about the Salmonella. Turtles were found a few years ago to bear Salmonella on their shells... Turtles love fresh vegetable gardens, we used to find whole famlies of turtles slowly but surely eating all of our tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers... So the pickers finding a few turtles in the fields picked them up and pitched them off to the side. Then of course went back to picking. The peppers have oils on their skins and retain some of the bacteria even though they are washed... Well its a theory...:) So give all your veggies a good wash, vinegar spray and water, and rub dry, before you make your salad and you will stand to stay a lot healthier!!
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This is a story about the biggest health hazard on the globe: The pesticide and allied industries! It is not about the chillis. Remove the pesticides and get healthy vegetables for the table. Mayn't look so good ,but, hey, who cares? They'll taste as they're s'posed to, not as some marketeer decides 'for us'!
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Shouldn't we all be concerned about contaminated food? I care about those affected and appreciate all the information offered here.
My hubby loves cubanelle peppers... they must be listed as sweet peppers I think...
Living in an apartment is challenging and 18 floors high even more so! Our tomatoes last year that we grew in pots were really quite special and I have to say as novice gardeners the effort was worth it. We support our local farmers and buy organic as much as possible.
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