What the heck is a Pasilla chile? I'm cooking this soup - and it stinks!?!


Question: What the heck is a Pasilla chile!? I'm cooking this soup - and it stinks!!?
I'm cooking this soup - and it stinks!I hope it tastes better than it smells in here! What did I do wrong!?

Recipe:

5 ounces country ham, julienned
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 medium onions, peeled and sliced thin
6 cloves garlic, sliced
2 jalape?os, stemmed and sliced, with seeds
4 green Anaheims, stemmed, seeded, and sliced
2 green pasilla chiles, stemmed, seeded, and sliced
2 bay leaves
3 1/2 pounds firm green tomatoes, cored and cut into eighths
1 1/2 quarts shrimp stock or homemade chicken stock
1 handful fresh basil leaves (about 1 cup)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons Tabasco (or to taste)
salt to taste
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Answers:
This chile makes a good substitute for Ancho and Mulato chiles!. It's called a Pasilla when fresh and Chile ***** only when dried!. The fresh Pasilla-- thin, five- to seven-inches long, and dark green-- doesn't look anything like the dried variety!. The pasilla is often used in salsas and stews!.

Ingredients:
* 3 large dried pasilla chiles
* 1 quart hot water
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
* 1 head garlic, cloves peeled and coarsely chopped
* 1 large tomato, cut into 1-inch dice
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
* Salt
* 1 cup 1/2-inch dice of country bread or baguette
* 1/4 cup crème fra?che or sour cream
* 1 Hass avocado, cut into 1/2-inch dice
* 1/4 cup cilantro leaves

#1 In a large bowl, cover the chiles with the hot water; set a small plate over the chiles to keep them submerged!. Let soak until softened, about 20 minutes!. Strain and reserve the soaking liquid!. Stem, seed and coarsely chop the chiles!.

#2 Preheat the oven to 400°!. In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil!. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 5 minutes!. Add the chopped chiles and cook, stirring, for 1 minute!. Add the tomato, oregano, a pinch of salt and the strained chile soaking liquid and bring to a boil!. Cover the soup and simmer gently over low heat for 20 minutes!.

#3 Meanwhile, in a cake pan, toss the diced baguette with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread in an even layer!. Bake until golden brown, about 8 minutes!.

#4 Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender!. Return the soup to the saucepan, bring to a simmer and season with salt!. Ladle the soup into bowls!. Top with the crème fra?che, avocado, cilantro leaves and croutons and serve!.

Hope this helps!.
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Have you tasted it yet!? Did you use the shrimp stock or did you use the chicken stock!? It may be the stock you used!.
I would taste it and see if it is just a smell you are not used to or is there something wrong with an ingredient!. If it does not taste good I would stop the process and rethink dinner!. It might be that you are just not used to the smells of that many different peppers at one time, in one dish!.
also were the tomatoes supposed to be tomatoes or tomotillos!. They have a different smell about them and if they are not washed to remove the stickyness that is left after the husks are removed, that may have an effect as well!. Www@FoodAQ@Com

Since you're using it in your soup you should know what it is!. But anyway, it's used as a substitute for poblano peppers and isn't very spicy!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

The pasilla is one of Mexico's great chilies, both for its taste and its versatility!. For those of you who don't know this chili, it is the mildly hot fresh chilaca chili which has been dried!. Almost anyone who has been to Mexico has seen it as it is the one floating atop tortilla soup!.

Any variety of fresh chili can be dried and this is done to preserve them!. But things get a little confusing as the process of drying them usually brings out a change of name!. Just as the chilaca become the pasilla, the poblano becomes an ancho and the mirasol becomes the guajillo!.

But things don't stop at this as there are differences in names from region to region!. For example, in north central Mexico the guajillo is usually called cascabel!.

In the case of the pasilla things get a bit complicated as in parts of the state of Michoacan the ancho is
called pasilla roja and a smoked dried hot, hot chili in Oaxaca is called a pasilla de Oaxaca!. But for my purposes, the pasilla is always a dried chilaca!.

Chile pasilla can be found in any supermarket in Mexico!. They are sold in small quantities packaged in airtight bags!. But if you would like to experience the wonderful sight and aroma of mountains of dried chilies, you might try a visit to a public market!.

The best markets are in the villages and you will usually see the chilies spread out on a piece of cloth on the ground!. The vendor, generally a woman, will probably try to sell you at least half a kilo, but if you say you have a small family you can buy as little as 100 grams!.

When buying the chile pasilla, you will be looking for a chili about six inches long and an inch wide with a shiny, black, wrinkled skin!. Make sure that the chilies you buy don't have mold!. The well-dried ones will last for months when properly stored in ziplock bags!.

The pasilla chili is prepared in table sauces, in delicious cooked sauces, and is served as a garnish!. As a garnish it is lightly fried, drained and then either served whole or in small rings!. But its most general use is in combination with other dried chilies in moles!.

In moles it can either be the dominating chili or take a back seat to the other ones!. In either case, it has a great flavor, one that you can get quite hooked on!.

Dried chilies have to be softened before using!. To do this, simmer the chilies in lightly salted water for five minutes!. Remove from the heat and then leave to soak for another five minutes or cover with boiling water for 20 minutes!. Then drain, run under cold water and remove the stems and seeds and puree with enough liquid to make a paste!. Press the puree through a fine strainer to remove any bits of peel!.

To get even more flavor out of them, dried chilies are often lightly toasted on a grill until their aroma is released!. Then they are softened as above!.

If you are new to chilies, I suggest that you start with less than what most recipes call for and work your way up!. I still find, after more than 30 years in Mexico, that in many recipes (often, unfortunately, untested) the amount of chilies is far too much and I cut way back!. If you do find that you have overdone it, adding some pureed tomatoes will lessen the sting!.
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