The Guajillo (wha-hee-oh) Chile Pepper Information and Recip

A gardening friend sent me a few Guajillo Chilli Pepper seed from Mexico and I looked for some recipes on how I might use them. I thought some of you might be interested in this pepper.
Gary/Louisville

The Guajillo (wha-hee-oh) Chile Pepper (Capsicum Annuum) is the most common chile in Mexico after the Ancho. Guajillo Powder is made from grinding the whole Guajillo Pepper, seeds and stem. The powder is 100 pure to offer an authentic flavor. The flavor of the Guajillo is distinct, slightly fruity with a strong piney, berry under taste. Guajillo flavors dishes easily, a little goes a long way. This chile measures 3 to 5 inches in length and is about 1 inch wide. The color is a brick red with deep burgundy tones and the skin is smooth. This chile is between a 2-4 on the heat scale of 1-10 Guajillo combined with the Pasilla and Ancho from the Holy Trinity of chiles used to prepare the traditional mole sauce. Scoville heat units 2,500 to 5,000.
The Guajillo Pepper is very tough and must be soaked longer than most dried chiles. The guajillo is pointed, long and narrow. It can be quite hot, the guajillo is also called the travieso mischievous chile in reference to its not-so-playful sting. It's used in both sauces and cooked dishes.

Suggested Use:
Guajillo Powder can be added to just about any dish that calls for chiles. Guajillo are traditionally used in Mexican and Southwestern cuisine, from mole sauces to stews and chiles.


Dr. Pepper Flank Steak Recipe
Grill Blend

Ingredients
· 4 Tablespoons kosher salt
· 3 Tablespoons Pasilla Powder (homemade chile powder)
· 2 Tablespoons dried granulated garlic
· 2 Tablespoons sugar
· 2 Tablespoons ground cumin
· 2 Tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
· 1 Tablespoon ground thyme

Directions
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl, blending well to evenly distribute the spices. Be sure to break up any chunks that appear.

2. Store the blend in an airtight container. Shake or stir it again before each use.
Yields about 1 cup
Pasilla Powder
Ingredients
5 pasilla chiles

Directions
1. Prepare the pasilla chiles by removing the stems and seeds.
2. Toast the peppers in a skillet over medium height for 5 minutes, turning them frequently until they are dry and crisp, but not burned.
3. Puree the peppers in a coffee grinder until they become a fine powder. (Be sure to clean the coffee grinder very well when you are done.)
Yield 1 cup.

Variations:
Ancho powder: Use 5 ancho peppers instead of the pasillas and proceed as directed.
Guajillo Powder: Use 5 guajillo peppers instead of the pasillas and proceed as directed.
http://www.wchstv.com/gmarecipes/drpepperflanksteak.shtml

CHICKEN AND ANDOUILLE QUESADILLA WITH CILANTRO SOUR CREAM
Sometimes cooking is all about the delivery system! Even though quesadilla came into our vocabulary via Mexican food, it is arguably a delicious delivery system for anything we want to mix with the mandatory cheese (queso) inside. Of course, being us, we up the ante from one layer of cheese filling to two, thus requiring three tortillas per quesadilla. When you taste our Cajunized spin with chicken and andouille, you’ll be happy it’s a high-rise!

Cilantro Sour Cream:
½ cup SOUR CREAM, PREFERABLY MEXICAN-STYLE
1 teaspoon FINELY CHOPPED CILANTRO
1/8 teaspoon GARLIC POWDER

3 large (10-inch) FLOUR TORTILLAS
1 cup DICED GRILLED CHICKEN BREAST
1 cup DICED GRILLED ANDOUILLE
1 ROASTED RED PEPPER, ROASTED WITH CHAR REMOVED, DICED
¾ cup shredded CHIHUAHUA (OR MONTEREY JACK) CHEESE
3/4 cup JALAPEÑO CHIHUAHUA (OR PEPPER JACK) CHEESE
2 tablespoons EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
¼ teaspoon ground GUAJILLO CHILE

Top a tortilla on a plate with about half the chicken, andouille, pepper and cheese, then cover with a second tortilla. Spread the remaining fillings and top with the third tortilla. In a bowl, combine the olive oil with the guajillo pepper and brush this on the top of the quesadilla.

Carefully transfer, oiled side down, to a nonstick pan over medium heat. Brush the second side with the oil-guajillo mixture and cook, flipping once carefully, until both sides are golden brown and cheese is melted, 5-6 minutes per side. Transfer the quesadilla to a large plate and cut into 8 wedges. Serve with Cilantro Sour Cream.
Makes 8 wedges.

Braised Curried Shortribs w/ Sauce Bigarade
http://visualrecipes.com/recipe-details/recipe_id/375/Braised-Curried-Shortribs-with-Sauce-Bigarade/


Mussels with Saffron, Guajillo Chiles, and Beer

1 small red onion, julienned 1 large round tomato, peeled, seeded, and julienned 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced Olive oil, for sauteing 1 guajillo chile, thinly sliced 1 pound mussels, de-bearded and cleaned 2 cups beer Saute red onion, tomato, and garlic in olive oil until soft and translucent. Add guajillo chile, mussels, and beer. Steam for 10 minutes. Discard any unopened mussels. Serve in a shallow bowl.

Tunisian
Harisa
Hot Chili Paste
Makes 1 cup
Harisa is the most important condiment used in Tunisian cooking, and, in fact, you need to make this recipe and keep is in the refrigerator before attempting any other Tunisian recipe. It's hard to believe that so essential a condiment could evolve only after the introduction of the New World capsicum. Harisa comes from the Arabic word for "to break into pieces," which is done by pounding hot peppers in a mortar although today a food processor can be used. This famous hot chili paste is also found in the cooking of Algeria, Libya, and even in western Sicily, where cùscusu is made. In Tunisia it would be prepared fresh in a spice shop. The simplest recipe is merely a paste of red chili peppers and salt that is covered in olive oil and stored. Harisa is sold in tubes by both Tunisian and French firms. The Tunisian one is better but neither can compare to your own freshly made from this recipe.

Be very careful when handling hot chili peppers, making sure that you do not put your fingers near your eyes, nose, or mouth, or you will live to regret it. Wash your hands well with soap and water after handling chili peppers.
2 ounces mildly hot dried guajillo chili peppers
2 ounces mild dried Anaheim chili peppers
5 garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground caraway seeds
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds
1-1/2 teaspoons salt

Extra virgin olive oil for topping off
1. Soak the chili peppers in tepid water to cover until softened, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Drain and remove the stems and seeds. Place in a blender or food processor with the garlic, water, and olive oil and process until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides.
2. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and stir in the caraway, coriander, and salt. Store in a jar and top off, covering the surface of the paste with a layer of olive oil. Whenever the paste is used, you must always top off with olive oil making sure no paste is exposed to air, otherwise it will spoil.

Variation
To make a hot harisa, use 4 ounces dried guajillo chili peppers and 1/2 ounce dried de Arbol peppers.
Note:
To make salsat al-harisa, harisa sauce, used as an accompaniment to grilled meats, stir together 2 teaspoons harisa, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons water, and 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves.


Apple and Guajillo Pepper Reduction in Roasted Acorn Squash Recipe
Take a look at this tasty looking Recipe.
I took about three cups of ham hock stock and added a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, 1 clove of garlic and three dried guajillo peppers (stems removed foodie.nyc http://blog.foodienyc.com/2005/11/acorn_squash_ap.html
Gary/Louisville

Cook's Thesaurus: Dried Chiles Substitutes: guajillo chile OR pequin pepper (much hotter) OR tepin pepper ... To tone down
Dried Chile Peppers
http://www.foodsubs.com/Chiledry.html

Chili pepper information, handling & drying chile peppers
http://www.texmextogo.com/chilipeppersfacts.htm








This message was edited Sep 23, 2006 11:03 PM