Poblano

I didn't know I needed poblano powder in my life until Nacho decided to grow some peppers and dry them. I think we were all a bit surprised by how nice and green the chile powder stayed and truly shocked by the incredible flavor that it offers. We're talking all the flavor of a poblano pepper that you can add to a dish with a simple sprinkle of this stuff. Typically, poblano chiles are used fresh as green chiles. When they ripen to red and are dried, they become ancho chiles. Anchos are some of the most commonly used chiles in Mexican cooking. 

The mild heat of the poblano is packed with vegetal green chile flavors that smells and tastes like freshly roasted poblanos coming off the grill. It is bound to be your new go to for chilaquiles, a quick crema for tacos, a delicious bonus for your buttered toast, and really I think it is going to completely change my popcorn game.

I'm a big fan of rajas with tacos (roasted poblanos that I like to coat with sour cream and cumin) and this just got even easier to make with our poblano powder. Really, just add some of the poblano powder to sour cream and you're good to go. In order to get the full flavor of the poblano, you might have to rehydrate the powder in a bit of water or what ever kind of liquid you're cooking with. You could also bloom the chile in some olive oil to really get the flavor going.

Recipe Ideas: Poblano Corn Pancakes, Avocado Poblano Dressing, Poblano Mac & Cheese

Comapeño

Comapeño chiles are rare, wild chiles from Mexico that grow in the Veracruz Mountains. We found some seeds, tried them out, and immediately learned how special this chile is. Comapeño is similar to Chile Tepin on the Scoville Scale at 50,000-100,000 Scoville Units. 

It is hot, it’s citrusy, and a little acidic. It’s a beautiful color. Comapeño is a complex chile that has a lot of heat up front, but subsides as you continue to eat. While the heat subsides, the flavor continues to linger. 

Comapeño is a bit hotter than cayenne (50-100,000 vs. 30,000-50,000 scoville units) but can be subbed in when recipes call for cayenne, though we recommend using about half the amount. What’s really important here is that this isn’t some chile that’s been sitting on the shelf for years. The strong, fresh heat in the compañeo will keep you coming back for more. 

Trying to figure out how you would use this? Check out the Comapeño Carne Adovada from our friend Emily Teel or Salsa Macha from Jenn De La Vega.