robot_parade

Hey,

So we planted a garden this year - pretty standard stuff - tomatoes, peas, green beans, bell peppers...and...I also planted 4 cayenne pepper plants. So I've got a bunch of fresh cayenne pepper, with more on the way, and I need recipe ideas! So far, I've got:

Chilli
cornbread (I've made it with diced jalepeno's...we'll see if the cayenne is *too* spicy.)

Or, figure out some way to preserve it:
Homemade hot sauce (but I've got several bottles of Dave's in the fridge, so I don't really need more)
pepper-infused oil
dry it?

Since I've got it fresh now, I'd like to use it...but I can only make so many pots of chilli. :-)

So, and TF'ers out there with a recipe that calls for fresh cayenne? I've tried google, but I only find recipe's calling for the ground-up stuff.

Cynthetiq

dry it... at least what you don't use

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maleficent

This is a salsa recipe that sounds pretty good
http://www.monsterchef.net/Recipes/Salsa.htm

Real men could eat this quiche

Roasted Fresh Pepper Quiche


2 each – fresh cayenne, jalapeno, and banana peppers
1 bell pepper
¼ sweet onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 eggs
1 ½ cups milk or half and half
1 tsp. prepared mustard
½ tsp. salt
Pinch black pepper
1 cup grated mild cheddar cheese
Cooking spray
9’ pie shell

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Seed and sliver the peppers, wearing rubber gloves to protect your skin. Thinly slice the onion and separate the rings. Place peppers, onions, and garlic on broiler pan, spray with cooking spray and roast under the broiler, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are cooked and lightly charred. Set aside to cool. Beat the eggs well, adding the milk, mustard, salt, and pepper. Place the cooled pepper mixture into the pie shell, top with grated cheese, then pour in the egg mixture. If desired, top lightly with powdered cayenne. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.


I came across those too when I was looking up a recipe for Pepper Jelly (usually really nice served over cream cheese with crackers ) The recipe calls for jalepenos but using cayennes might give it some extra kick

Jalapeno Pepper Jelly
(Hot and sweet!)

½ cup jalapeno peppers, fresh
1 cup bell or sweet banana peppers
1 ½ cups cider vinegar
6 cups sugar
1 packet Certo

Mince peppers, wearing rubber gloves to protect your skin. Proportions of jalapeno and bell or sweet pepper may be varied to control hotness. Put in blender, using ½ cup vinegar to blend. Refrigerate overnight to marinate. Place peppers, sugar, and 1 cup vinegar in kettle over medium heat and stir until fully boiling (impossible to stir down). Remove from heat and let stand exactly 5 minutes. Skim off foam. Stir in Certo quickly and thoroughly. Pour in jars and let stand to jell before sealing. Makes 6 cups.

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snowy

Oooh, cayennes! Definitely dry what you don't end up using. My mother has a salsa recipe that uses them; I'll try and find it if I can

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robot_parade

Yeah, I absolutely plan on drying what I don't use right away.

maleficent: Ooh, I love the pepper jelly idea. I've never made jelly before, so it should be interesting, if nothing else. I also like the salsa thing...I've got plenty of tomatoes too.

I don't know about the quiche though - I've never been a really big quiche fan.

Thanks for the tips!

robot_parade

fwiw, the cayenne pepper cornbread worked out pretty well - it wasn't nearly as spicy as I expected (I just used one pepper, just in case).

Here's the recipe I used:

2 cups cornmeal
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper, to taste.
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk
4 tbs bacon drippings, melted lard, or veg oil

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease your 9-inch cast iron skillet with 2 tbs of the fat. Place pan in oven to heat.

Sift dry ingredients together into a large bowl. In another bowl, beat eggs, add buttermilk and the other 2 tbs of fat. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until everything is just barely wet.

Sprinkle a small handfull of cornmeal into the hot skillet. It will brown and add a crispier texture to the crust.

Pour batter into hot skillet. Batter will sizzle. Bake at 450 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

Serves 6-8.


I added 1 chopped fresh cayenne pepper to the recipe above - I'll probably use more next time, since it wasn't as spicy as I expected.

If you don't have a cast iron skillet, go and get one! They are dirt cheap, last forever, and are about the best pan you can get, if you take good care of it.