As I view our unusually cloudy day and feel the cool winter winds in the Sonoran Desert, the sizzling Southwest summer temperatures seem so far away. But those sunny hot days (and a little water) help to create a backyard harvest of a diverse selection of chile peppers - which can also be sizzling or muy picante caliente (very spicy hot)!

For years, we have been growing hot Anaheim chiles and jalapeños. Last year’s batches proved to be very hot! We opted to address that in two ways. 

First, with gloves, glasses and mask (who doesn’t own a mask these days), I took many of the smaller ones and “gutted” them - removed the seeds and veins and then placed them in a refrigerated store-bought jalapeño jar that only had a few remaining peppers but an ample amount of brine. That worked really well! 

Second, I chose to make easy chile rellenos - which have some similarities to a popper. 

Again using gloves, glasses and mask, I cut off the top part of the pepper at the stem. With a slender knife, I cut out the veins and seeds then rinsed out the peppers. We love pepper jack, so I cut rectangular strips from a block of cheese and pushed them inside the peppers - making certain they were thoroughly dried. After rolling the peppers in flour then in whisked eggs and then flour again, I fried them on the stove in vegetable oil until the peppers seemed soft when using the tongs. After cooking, the peppers were placed on a paper towel for excess oil to drain off.  I was pleased that most of the cheese stayed in the peppers! Because they were still spicy hot, we dipped them in Crema - Mexican Sour Cream! Crema is a staple in our refrigerator as it is in many Southwest homes!

Just as the sun and warmth of the desert will continue to create a great growing combination for peppers, I will surely continue to make spicy dishes with jalapeños and Anaheims and to experiment with the wonderful flavors of the Southwest.