Hi Vlap: How's it going?
This will be sort of a long response, but here goes:
Well, I Googled all three peppers and searched for guidance and ideas. Many of the sites I found, suggested peeling. Then I checked restaurants and their suggestions and published recipies, and finally Latino recipies for them. Almost all called for peeling. Many had quite detailed examples of how to go about 'blistering' them on the BBQ, or under the oven broiler and such. Their reasoning was that, even after cooking, the skin was tough and stopped the smoke from penetrating. So, that is what I did. I had never seen, let alone cooked, a Problano or an Anahiem. This was my first time, so I just took a gamble and hoped they were right.
As for taste and texture:
Well the Problano's were the softest and more mushy than the others. (Could certainly be related to the peeling.) They were very mild and had little, if any, warmth. Tasty but my least favorite. I would like to see how they turned out without peeling, but am not sure I will put in the effort. Even if the texture improved, the taste would still be a little bland for me.
The Anahiem's were also very mild, and once again, had little, if any warmth. On the upside, they held their texture much better. I liked both the taste and the texture of them. They would have been my favorite if only they had a little bite to them. But, unfortunately, they didn't, so came in second.
The Jalapeno's, in my opinion, were the best of the three. They too, held their texture very well. After being cored they were tamed down a little and lost their harshness, but still retained enough bite and warmth to make them very good. Easily my favorite.
Bottom line is:
I probably need to try Problano's once more, without peeling. Just to give them a fair shake. I think this will help their texture, but I think they will still be too bland for me. My guess is that I will drop them from the list.
I liked the Anahiem's but wouldn't do them again for myself. Might give them another shot if entertaining people who didn't like spicy food, but who I wanted to experience something a little different.
I really liked the Jalapeno's and will definitely do them again. I was totally satisfied with how they came out. Both taste and texture. Just the right amount of spice and bite, without overpowering.
My neighbors knew I was preparing 'Peppers", but had no idea what kind. Even after they saw the finished product, they had no idea which was which. All they knew was that they were going to conduct a "Blind Taste Test" and let me know their reactions. Interestingly, their opinions were very close to my own. Some liked the Problano's and some didn't. Some liked the Anahiem's and some didn't. But, all agreed that the Jalapeno's were great and want me to do them agian.
I had also harvested and smoked a limit of 'Blue Mussels, which they didn't expect. I was able to produce them, along with the peppers, as an added little surprise
We pounded down a few(read that quite a few) cold 'Cerveza's" and everyone enjoyed the Labor Day treats
Hope that helps.
Skip
