Poblano Pepper (AKA – Ancho, when dried)
The classic poblano pepper, commonly dried and known as ancho, is a staple for those seeking flavor without intense heat. You can stuff it, dry it, or use it fresh – it’s a reliable choice in a variety of dishes. While superhot peppers are great for creating blazing hot sauces or spice mixes, they don’t see the same widespread use as a classic, mild pepper like the poblano.
Don’t think of this as a boring pepper! A few specific uses:
- Chiles Rellenos: Stuff poblano peppers with cheese or meat, coat them in batter, and fry them. Serve with tomato sauce.
- Rajas con Crema: Slice and sauté poblano peppers with onions and cream. Great as a side or in tacos.
- Poblano Pepper Soup: Blend roasted poblanos into a soup with stock and cream. It’s warm and a bit smoky.
- Stuffed Poblano Peppers: Fill them with rice, beans, veggies, cheese, or meat, and bake.
- Enchiladas: Use poblanos in the sauce or filling for an extra kick.
- Poblano Cream Sauce: Blend roasted poblanos into a creamy sauce. Good on enchiladas, tacos, chicken, or pasta.
- Roasted Poblano Salsa: Mix roasted poblanos with tomatoes, onions, garlic, and cilantro for a tasty salsa.
- Poblano Corn Chowder: A soup with poblanos, corn, potatoes, and sometimes bacon or ham.
- Poblano and Cheese Tamales: Chop poblanos and add them to the dough or filling of tamales.
- Grilled Poblano Peppers: Grill them with some oil, salt, and pepper for a simple side dish.
Growing:
Most people use the pepper in the unripe green state. We recommend keeping this plant well fed with fertilizer. Keep an eye out for potentially needing support. A tall growing plant with many branches – combined with heavy fruit – may benefit from staking, a cage, or – my favorite method – planting it near other poblanos so that the plants will support one another. A side benefit is additional shade. Some protection during the most direct sun of the day is desired by some peppers, contrary to the belief that peppers love blazing hot weather and sun all day. Now, that does not mean plant peppers in a partially shady area – that is a recipe for a stunted plant!
Heat:
Poblanos top off in the 1000-2000SHU range. C’mon, it is one of the most popular peppers in Mexico and the US – seems silly going into too much detail about this staple!
2023 Seeds: Isolated
