freezing pablono peppers?

Question

i live on a remote island and rarely get peppers, this is the first time in two years our store had them. what will happen if i buy peppers and freeze them? they are very expensive so i don't want to experiment.

I want to use them for chili rellenos. I don't want to chop them up, I want them to be whole so I can stuff them.

Answer 1

You're in luck! Poblanos freeze really well if you roast and peel them first, and you have to roast and peel them to make rellenos.

If you freeze raw peppers, an enzyme in them will make them get mushy. You can also blanch them quickly in boiling water, but roasting them does the same thing and is MUCH more flavorful, especially if you're looking to make rellenos anyway.

When we had our pepper garden, we'd harvest a bunch of poblanos, New Mexico chiles, etc., then roast them and freeze them. I'm not sure how long they stay good in the freezer, because we'd always eat them up long before they went bad.

The BEST way to roast fresh peppers is on a barbecue or other open fire. Put the chiles on the grill, turn with tongs till the outer waxy skin is scorched and bubbled. (You can also do this in the oven, but it takes longer and doesn't smell quite as good.)

When the peppers are blistered all over, put them in a paper shopping bag and let them stand for 10-15 minutes. The steam will loosen the blistered skin and make the next step much easier.

Finally, take each pepper, one at a time, and rub off the charred, blistered skin under a thin trickle of running water. Pat them dry, then put them in a zip-lock plastic bag. We found that six chiles per bag was a good quantity for recipes to use over the winter.

Something you should try at least once with poblanos -- fill them with a seasoned goat cheese or crumbled feta instead of jack or cheddar. The tangy, salty flavor of these cheeses is INCREDIBLE with the rich, dark poblano. I used to mix a little minced garlic and some dried oregano in with the cheese before stuffing them.

One other tip for what to do with frozen poblanos (or Anaheims or Big Jims or other chiles) -- Chile-Masa soup.

6 frozen, roasted green chiles, thawed and coarsely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced or mashed
2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
4 heaping tablespoons masa harina (prepared dried corn masa for making tortillas or tamales)
2 cans chicken broth (or 1 qt homemade if possible)
Feta cheese, lime quarters and cilantro for garnish

In a 2-quart saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat till it just begins to smoke. Add onions and saute till they begin to brown. Add chopped chiles, garlic, oregano and (optional) red pepper flakes. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly, to let the flavors blend.

Sprinkle chile-onion mixture with dried masa; stir to make a kind of roux with the masa and olive oil. Cook for one to three minutes to lightly toast the masa.

Start adding broth or stock in a thin stream, stirring to dissolve the masa-oil roux into the liquid. When you have added all the liquid, reduce heat and let the soup simmer for 10-15 minutes or until it thickens to the consistency of a rich cream soup.

To serve, garnish with crumbled feta cheese and cilantro leaves, then squeeze a wedge of fresh lime. Pair this with a big Australian shiraz and a roasted chicken or a pan-seared pork tenderloin. This is our New Year's Eve tradition, great on a cold winter's night to remind you of the warmth of summer.

Enjoy!

Answer 2

I grow peppers an jalapenos in my garden. When they are ripe I bring them in and chop them up to a fine paste then freeze them in freezer bags. That way threw out the winter i can just cut off a little of the paste and put it into soups and stews and chili as needed. It works great.
I hope this helps, and enjoy!

Answer 3

Fresh poblanos are roasted and peeled, then preserved by canning or freezing. They are often stuffed to make chiles rellenos. The dried pods can be stored in airtight containers for months, or they can be ground into a powder.

Answer 4

I hollow out the pablano pepper. Washing out the seeds. I make a mix of cream cheese, parmesean,feta and cheddar. Stuff the peppers. Wrap in tinfoil. Cook on my grill till they are soft and cooked though. I never froze them. But have a mess of pablanos now to stuff. I planned on cooking them. Freezing to reheat as a side with a meal.

Answer 5

i don't think freezing them is a good idea..they have to be fresh