The best thing ever to come out of our neighbor to the south is the jalapeno. It's a wonderful little touch to spice up most any dish. However, amongst jalapenos there is a wide range of spiciness and taste. Unlike some of their other counterparts (like the habanero), this vegetable isn't always guaranteed to be fiery. There are a couple things you need to watch out for. First, watch out for color. If there's any red in it, it's past its prime and was picked too late. Second (and probably most important), look at the tip. The pointer the jalapeno, the spicier it is. This typically comes from starving the jalapeno plant of water. Too much water and the spiciness is exactly that...watered down. Third, people often mistake the spiciness as coming from the seeds. WRONG. The heat actually comes from the veins. The seeds just appear spicy because they're found growing in the veins. Hopefully this has helped you out for your next trip to the grocery store.
In addition, my little tip would be to get a few jalapenos and puree them. Add them into your freshly made (and home-made at that) Bloody Mary mix for even more spice.
No comments:
Post a Comment