Matt Bray – Page 82 – PepperScale

Freezing Bell Peppers: A Step-By-Step

Freezing is an important technique for preserving ripe, in-season fruits and vegetables. Bell peppers are among the easiest types of produce to freeze. For starters, you do not need to blanch them before you freeze them, which makes the process a lot easier. You can also use frozen bell peppers in many of the same ways that you use them when fresh; however, remember that they can lose their crispness after thawing. As a result, they are better for cooked preparations rather than raw ones. Add them to your soups, stews, and to chili.

Freezing bell peppers may seem simple, but you will need to follow the right steps to make the process as efficient as possible. The step-by-step below will ensure that the peppers taste their best after thawing and that they retain both their color and their flavor.

Bell Pepper Benefits: How Healthy Are They?

by Matt Bray

There are more bell pepper benefits than you may know…

Bell peppers often get less attention among peppers because they do not contain capsaicin, the substance that makes hot peppers hot and that provides a range of cancer-fighting benefits. Despite their inability to make your eyes water, bell peppers do provide their own set of compounds for enhancing health. Their nutrients include minerals, vitamins and a range of antioxidants. These health-boosting compounds are essential for the treatment and prevention of certain serious diseases.

Here are some of the many bell pepper benefits and how they can improve your health:

Chipotle Ranch Dressing

by Matt Bray

Ranch dressing all amped up…

For those that love the creamy tang of ranch dressing, get ready for a taste bud revolution. Chipotle ranch dressing takes what’s best with ranch and layers in heat and a hint of smoke. It turns an everyday salad into something bold.

This touch of Tex-Mex serves more than simply salad, too. As a veggie dipper, it’s delicious. We especially love the chipotle pepper smokiness paired with the sweetness of carrots. And if you’re having buffalo wings, try chipotle ranch instead of the regular plain Jane dressing for a little extra fire.

Chipotle Taco Seasoning

by Matt Bray

Ready for a smokier taco?

If you’re a fan of smoky flavor, prepping up a chipotle taco seasoning before taco night will make you very happy. This spice blend uses common spice rack ingredients and brings the smoke through both chipotle powder and smoked paprika. We kick in a little cayenne pepper to increase the overall heat just a touch.

Don’t limit this tasty seasoning to tacos. You can use it anywhere taco of Mexican seasoning is called for to add a little south-of-the-border flare to your meal. It’s delicious simply mixed with ranch dressing for a quick dip or use it as a dry rub on chicken, pork, or steak to add a smoky, earthy heat.

Spicy Hollandaise Sauce

by Matt Bray

Ready those Eggs Benedict for something spicy…

We love breakfast heat, no doubt about it. So a little spicy hollandaise sauce (heat by cayenne) over a delicious plate of Eggs Benedict – just the thought of it makes us smile. But hollandaise sauce can serve many more purposes as well. Try it over steamed vegetables like broccoli or asparagus. It makes a delicious spicy white sauce for biscuits, too.

Peperone Di Senise: Basilicata’s Sweet Treasure

by Matt Bray

Delicious fresh or dried…

Scoville heat units (SHU): 0
Jalapeño reference point: 2,500 – 8,000 milder
Origin: Italy
Seeds: Peperone di Senise on Amazon

Few peppers define a regional cuisine as well as Peperone di Senise (a.k.a. the Senise pepper). With its delicious, sweet flavor and little to no heat, the Peperone di Senise is a staple of the rustic cuisine of the Basilicata region of Italy. While it’s used fresh (and simply perfect as a frying pepper), it’s the Senise pepper in dried form (known then as Peperone Crusco) that’s used the most often. Dried, it flavors meats, soups, and stews, along with a wide variety of rustic Italian meals.

Spicy Bechamel Sauce

by Matt Bray

A simple spicy white sauce…

Bechamel sauce just works when other sauces don’t. Don’t want a tomato tangy zing on pasta? Try bechamel. Want to add some homey heft to veggies like cauliflower and broccoli? Same. Yet that ‘tasty but safe’ white sauce can push the envelope still. Spice it up with cayenne pepper powder and your dish turns from simply good to more than memorable. It’s quick to make and fiery good.

Cajun Tomato Sauce

by Matt Bray

A hearty and spicy sauce…

Between the mix of veggies and plenty of spice, Cajun tomato sauce will really rev up that plain pasta night. Along with the Cajun seasoning, extra cayenne pepper powder is the “rev” fuel here. It’s a bold, hearty, and spicy sauce. Use it anywhere a tomato sauce is called for: as a pasta sauce, a stromboli dipper, a mozzerella stick side, just to name a few!

No Cajun seasoning in your cabinet? That’s ok – you can make it yourself with many common spice rack spices. See our recipe here.

Spicy Garam Masala

by Matt Bray

Add some flair to this Indian finishing spice…

Garam masala is typically known as a warming finishing spice, but here we turn that pungent warmth into more of a roaring fire. You can control that heat by choosing a dried red chili pepper that works best for your heat tolerance. Go mild for a simmering warmth or light things up with something extra hot. We offer some ideas below, but consider the pepper’s flavor nuances before use as they will have impact on the overall garam masala flavor.

Note, too, that garam masala is a finishing spice, perfect for spicing up the flavor of Indian dishes right before serving. It’s best not to cook with garam masala – rather use it at the end. Cooking with it tends to turn the seasoning mix bitter in flavor.

Aji Chombo: The Fiery Panamanian Pepper

by Matt Bray

Habanero-like heat and flavor…

Scoville heat units (SHU): 150,000 to 350,000
Jalapeño reference point: 18 to 140 times hotter
Origin: Panama
Products and seeds: Aji chombo on Amazon

While not easy to source in the U.S. or U.K., the aji chombo holds a lot of sway in its native Panama. With its extra-hot heat and fruity flavor, it compares well to its Caribbean cousins, the habanero and scotch bonnet peppers. If you’re looking to make an authentic Panamanian hot sauce with extra kick (or any fiery authentic Panamanian cuisine), the aji chombo is your chili of choice.