Forum Thermomix
Welcoming Center, Management and General Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: Janem on September 12, 2011, 06:21:06 am
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The My Way of Cooking cook book mentions "red pepper" and "green bell pepper". Are these just red and green capsicums? Gosh I feel like a doofus.... :P
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Yes Jane, you are right.
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Thank you Judydawn ;D
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"red pepper" and "green bell pepper". Are these just red and green capsicums? Gosh I feel like a doofus....
I know that any colour pepper mentioned is the same as a capsicum but I am puzzled on what a doofus is!! :-\Sounds like a duster on a stick ;D ;D
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"red pepper" and "green bell pepper". Are these just red and green capsicums? Gosh I feel like a doofus....
I know that any colour pepper mentioned is the same as a capsicum but I am puzzled on what a doofus is!! :-\Sounds like a duster on a stick ;D ;D
lol...definition of a doofus : Stupid person or Someone who hasn't got a clue!
I get confused with the word "pepper" as I have neighbours who grow all kinds of chilli peppers, and yes I know they are related to the capsicum but not really "chillis" as I know them;)
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All "peppers" of the type you mention of of the Capsicum family. Including both "sweet" peppers, Bell pepper, and the "hot" peppers, Chile Pepper, Peppeps.
These are all in the "nightshade" family, along with tomatoes, eggplants and etc.
In that family are various sub-types - some are very mild and some are extremely hot but they all evolved from some ancient ancestor plant in South America. Some of these types have "daughter" types that define the shape of the peppers: "bonnet" types and "cone" types.
It was long thought that the "ornamental" peppers were not edible but surprise!, they are and some have some unique flavors.
That's probably more than anyone wants to know but I am a huge fan of peppers in all their various guises and used to grow several varieties.
Wikipedia has a very good article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capsicum)on the subject, if you are at all interested.
I am a long-time member of the Chile-Heads mailing list (http://www.exit109.com/~mstevens/chileheads.html)
and if you are interested in recipes that include chiles, his recipes are listed with the spice level, zero to mild to hot, clearly indicated.
Recipes (http://www.exit109.com/~mstevens/recipes.shtml) (scroll down half way on the page)
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Andie, I was delighted to read the explanations in your post as my husband loves the taste of chillies and he also likes them hot, but we can never seem to find a combination of a nice tasting chillie that is hot. Most chillies are either fiercly HOT :P or just plain hot but very rarely are they tasty as well. Are you able to recommend any that combine taste and heat? I haven't had a chance to read your links yet and the answer may be in there so forgive me if I am doubling up on your knowledge. Thanks.
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Andie, I was delighted to read the explanations in your post as my husband loves the taste of chillies and he also likes them hot, but we can never seem to find a combination of a nice tasting chillie that is hot. Most chillies are either fiercly HOT :P or just plain hot but very rarely are they tasty as well. Are you able to recommend any that combine taste and heat? I haven't had a chance to read your links yet and the answer may be in there so forgive me if I am doubling up on your knowledge. Thanks.
The tastier hot peppers that I really like are the Manzano or Rocoto (either name) and they are unique in that they are the only peppers that have black seeds.
They are fairly hot but also have the flavor of apples, which makes them perfect for inclusion in fruit salads, chutneys and especially salsa made with tomatoes and mangoes.
If you live in an area where there is no frost in the winter, you can keep these pepper plants going for years as they are not annuals.
I planted two plants back in the mid '90s and kept both going, pruning them back and moving the pots into the greenhouse to overwinter and back outside after any chance of a frost had passed. I repotted them, doing some root pruning every two years and they thrived and produced for almost ten years.
I was advised to get two plants so they could cross-pollinate.
You can see some Manzano sub varieties here (http://www.g6csy.net/chile/database.html).
And this is a great site to wander through as all the varieties are in alphabetical order.
Another flavorful hot pepper is the Yellow Aji Chile. One that is slightly spicy and very sweet is the Cubanelle, and they can vary considerably from very mild to medium spicy. I buy them for frying - Italian style for panini sandwiches.
Recently some peppers called "Turkish long 'delight" have appeared in local markets here.
They are a foot long, hot and very sweet. This is another one that is good in salsas and chutneys.
I am going to try drying some and grinding them into a powder like paprika.
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oh andie I love your explanations...learnt something about chillis....I find in general there are only very common types available commercially and like anything from bread to different grains etc there is always a whole other world behind the most common types of a produce and experts in that field.....you should if you havent already andie write all this stuff down...or is it on your blog??
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oh andie I love your explanations...learnt something about chillis....I find in general there are only very common types available commercially and like anything from bread to different grains etc there is always a whole other world behind the most common types of a produce and experts in that field.....you should if you havent already andie write all this stuff down...or is it on your blog??
There used to be a grand fancier of chile peppers in NSW who maintained a website called The Fragrant Garden and posted up to date information about the availability of chiles in OZ. I lost touch with him a few years ago and his site is no longer on line.
One solution is to grow your own and one vendor is Sgt. Pepper (http://www.sgtpepper.com.au/store/) who currently has only a few varieties but hopefully will be expanding.
Another source is Australian CHILLI SEED BANK (http://www.chilliseedbank.com.au/)
And also Wildfire Chilli (http://www.wildfirechilli.com.au/) in WA where there should be something for any "Chile-Head"
to savor.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you for your invaluable help, Andie. Although he doesn't know it and I haven't told him yet, my husband is very grateful to you!
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Thank you, thank you, thank you for your invaluable help, Andie. Although he doesn't know it and I haven't told him yet, my husband is very grateful to you!
In my first post in this topic I posted the link to the Chile-Heads mailing list.
You should join it and get the "Digest" instead of individual emails.
After you see how it works, either post or have your husband post an inquiry for members who might be close enough to you to arrange a "Hotluck" - a potluck party for chile-heads, which are loads of fun.
I used to attend at least one every year but since I have passed 70, it is a bit more of a chore for me to drive long distances.
I have to say that there were usually twice as many guys as girls at these events and those guys are some serious cooks.
One woman complained that after her husband got hooked on hot foods, she often found herself unable to use her own kitchen if he had a "project" in the works. Then HE decided they needed a bigger kitchen and happily shelled out $$$$ for the renovation. (Previously he had been rather resistant to a new kitchen.)
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such a pity i live in a country that is too cold to grow anything like chillis well or lemons or or or snif !! I can grow them for a little bit but only have a portable greenhouse so just not good enough to properly store these plants in pots and keep them going...most things die in winter...oh how i miss warmer climates!!!
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Aahh but, Frozzie, you will have things that we don't - we can't grow that wonderful wheat that makes the great French breads, etc.!!
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still prefer lemons and chillis oh and just going right off track...i miss blood plums...i did see a variety a few weeks back called black plums from spain but havent seen them since ....need to head further south lol!
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Cuilidh,
Here is a link to advice on growing chiles (or chillis as in the title of Michael Bailes book: The Fragrant Chilli) in Australia, if you or your husband are so inclined.
Tips on Growing Chillies (and Capsicums)? (http://forums.permaculture.org.au/archive/index.php/t-5375.html?s=3bc249c84fcb99cb69dcd869fd6aa818)
The book has been out of print for a long time. Originally published by Kangaroo Press in 1999 and published in the U.S. in 2001.
Michael hosted a Chilli Festival in March 1998 and writes about the upcoming event HERE (http://www.globalgarden.com/Chile-Heads/Archives/vol.19980318/0101.html).
and here (http://www.globalgarden.com/Chile-Heads/Archives/vol.19980610/0349.html) writes about it after it was over.
Another attendee's report (http://www.globalgarden.com/Chile-Heads/Archives/vol.19980610/0202.html).
And another's, (http://www.globalgarden.com/Chile-Heads/Archives/vol.19980610/0255.html) just to give you an idea of some of the fun to be had.
Some advice about how to deal with slugs (http://www.globalgarden.com/Chile-Heads/Archives/vol.19980610/0351.html).
Even if there are just a few folks in your immediate area, the hotlucks are a lot of fun too.
You know at most parties/picnics, the men will be grouped, talking about sports and the women will congregate, talking about kids, family, home, foods, & etc.
At a hotluck everyone, whatever the age or sex, talks about chiles (chillis), hot sauce, weird recipes and the best way to grow the hot little devils.
Way back in the early days (1980s), before the internet when there were only "user groups" with very slow modems, some beer and chile fans got the idea of brewing chile beer and over many months perfected the process and sold the formula to a brewery. Well, the beer is not all that great, according to beer aficionados, but the real chile-heads have fun seeing just how hot a beer they can produce in home-brewing and drinking same. Now a lot of brew pubs and craft beer (small batch) brewers here in the U.S. are cashing in on the fad.
I don't know if your husband has an affinity for beer but all of the guys from OZ I have met over the years have been so.
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Thanks once again forall your help Andie, you really are a fount of wonderful information. Yes, my DH does enjoy a good beer (he's a Scot and reluctantly admits that English beer is, really, very good). I'm not sure what he would think of chilli beer - ah well, we can only try! We're still working through all the various chilli plants and seed options available from your last post to decide what to grow, but we will have to get a move on as spring is now here and we need to get the plants and seeds away.
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After working here in International education, I understand that there are many words that are interchangeable. It gets so confusing. I was teaching a high level maths class yesterday about "brackets". The Americans stared at me in wonder. They call the parentheses. AHHHHH. But yes, a pepper is a capsicum, unless of course you are here in Germany, then it is a paprika!!
xxx
;D
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After working here in International education, I understand that there are many words that are interchangeable. It gets so confusing. I was teaching a high level maths class yesterday about "brackets". The Americans stared at me in wonder. They call the parenthesis. AHHHHH. But yes, a pepper is a capsicum, unless of course you are here in Germany, then it is a paprika!!
xxx
;D
Many people have been quoted as saying the English and the Americans are people separated by a common language.
I was an English major, although it was many, many years ago. Parentheses or "round" brackets are ( ) and square brackets are [ ] and curly brackets are { } as well as a couple of other versions (angle brackets or chevrons).
Wikipedia has a pretty good reference that is handy for a quick look-up. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punctuation)
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Yes, different phrases and such like can be very confusing. In Australia, there is a tendency to shorten words and I have been caught out a couple of times.
I was speaking to my friend once and mentioned that I was looking to buy something that was going to cost quite a lot of money and she said that it was exy. I said that there was nothing sexy about it, what she really meant was that it was expensive.
Similarly, when we were renovating our shop prior to opening a friend asked how the reno was going – I was a bit puzzled as we didn’t have a car, much less a Renault – I had to have it explained to me!!
English is definitely a living and changing language and I really tend to be a bit pedantic and annoyed at these changes, but then, if the language didn’t change we would all be talking about receipts instead of recipes, etc. so I should just sit back and be a bit more relaxed about it all.