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It’s getting hot out there. And I’m not just talking about the temperature. Check out the wares next time you are at the Farmer’s Market or roaming the produce aisle and you might notice an explosion of a certain type of colorful, fiery vegetable: the chili.
Chilies thrive in hot weather, almost certainly a factor on their widespread use in the cuisines of so many sweltering countries from Mexico to Mozambique, Thailand to Jamaica. With much of the United States feeling as hot as the Sahara this summer, it should be not surprise that while flowers wilt, peppers are thriving.
What to do with all those peppers, you might wonder? Well the easy answer is to cook with them. Right now I’m especially loving the sweet, mild kick of the long skinny red peppers called Holland. Sometimes called Dutch peppers, these chilies have about the same hotness as a jalapeno and show up extensively in former Dutch colonies like Indonesia, where they are known as Cabai Merah.
I picked up a few of these peppers last week and discovered they work great as a substitute for Serrano or Thai chilies if you are looking for a milder heat in Chinese stir-fries. But even more interesting than the expected spicy Asian fare, these chilies add just the right amount of heat when sliced up and added to a seasonal salad, as I did one night with a mix of baby spinach, whole wheat couscous, Persian cucumber, tomato and Balsamic dressing. The following night I cut the Holland peppers in tiny slivers and tossed them with a quick pasta of fresh shrimp, tomato, garlic, and torn basil. It added just a little heat to a summertime classic pasta without overwhelming the dish.
If Holland peppers are not available in your area, keep an eye out for Fresno chilies, another name for a jalapeno allowed to stay on the vine until completely red and ripe. The ripening gives the flesh a sweeter taste than the green bell pepper, vegetal skin of a green jalapeno. But do not be fooled, the red peppers still pack a huge punch. On the Scoville Scale, a measure of the hotness of a pepper, red and green jalapeno both come in at about 5000 Scoville units, enough to get you sweating.
My mother will plant a couple a jalapeno bushes each year, and each year there comes a time when there are more peppers than she can mix into to stir-fries and salads on a given night. The abundance is not a bad thing, however. First, she will dry out a few baskets of red jalapenos to use in the cooler months to come (note, a dried, smoked red jalapeno is the same thing as a chipotle). Some of the fresh jalapenos, both red and green, will make their way into salsa. And whatever is left of the red jalapenos are cooked down with a healthy dose of sugar then canned for a terrific hot pepper jelly.
If it is not a great year for a thriving flower garden, the heat does promise at least one upside: a bumper crop of fiery chilies. Holland and jalapeno, salsa and pasta, time to bring the heat to the kitchen, and I’m not talking about the oven.
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/1275-growing-chilies/
Fiery Chilies For Red Hot Summer
It’s getting hot out there. And I’m not just talking about the temperature. Check out the wares next time you are at the Farmer’s Market or roaming the produce aisle and you might notice an explosion of a certain type of colorful, fiery vegetable: the chili.
Chilies thrive in hot weather, almost certainly a factor on their widespread use in the cuisines of so many sweltering countries from Mexico to Mozambique, Thailand to Jamaica. With much of the United States feeling as hot as the Sahara this summer, it should be not surprise that while flowers wilt, peppers are thriving.
What to do with all those peppers, you might wonder? Well the easy answer is to cook with them. Right now I’m especially loving the sweet, mild kick of the long skinny red peppers called Holland. Sometimes called Dutch peppers, these chilies have about the same hotness as a jalapeno and show up extensively in former Dutch colonies like Indonesia, where they are known as Cabai Merah.
I picked up a few of these peppers last week and discovered they work great as a substitute for Serrano or Thai chilies if you are looking for a milder heat in Chinese stir-fries. But even more interesting than the expected spicy Asian fare, these chilies add just the right amount of heat when sliced up and added to a seasonal salad, as I did one night with a mix of baby spinach, whole wheat couscous, Persian cucumber, tomato and Balsamic dressing. The following night I cut the Holland peppers in tiny slivers and tossed them with a quick pasta of fresh shrimp, tomato, garlic, and torn basil. It added just a little heat to a summertime classic pasta without overwhelming the dish.
If Holland peppers are not available in your area, keep an eye out for Fresno chilies, another name for a jalapeno allowed to stay on the vine until completely red and ripe. The ripening gives the flesh a sweeter taste than the green bell pepper, vegetal skin of a green jalapeno. But do not be fooled, the red peppers still pack a huge punch. On the Scoville Scale, a measure of the hotness of a pepper, red and green jalapeno both come in at about 5000 Scoville units, enough to get you sweating.
My mother will plant a couple a jalapeno bushes each year, and each year there comes a time when there are more peppers than she can mix into to stir-fries and salads on a given night. The abundance is not a bad thing, however. First, she will dry out a few baskets of red jalapenos to use in the cooler months to come (note, a dried, smoked red jalapeno is the same thing as a chipotle). Some of the fresh jalapenos, both red and green, will make their way into salsa. And whatever is left of the red jalapenos are cooked down with a healthy dose of sugar then canned for a terrific hot pepper jelly.
If it is not a great year for a thriving flower garden, the heat does promise at least one upside: a bumper crop of fiery chilies. Holland and jalapeno, salsa and pasta, time to bring the heat to the kitchen, and I’m not talking about the oven.
Shrimp, Tomato, Basil, Chile Pasta
Made with fresh basil, salt and black pepper, fettuccine pasta, shrimp, olive oil, garlic, Holland peppers, tomatoes, white wine
Made with fresh basil, salt and black pepper, fettuccine pasta, shrimp, olive oil, garlic, Holland peppers, tomatoes, white wine
Serves/Makes: 8
- 1 pound fettuccine pasta
- 1 1/4 pound medium shrimp, raw, shell on
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 Holland peppers (or Frenso)
- 2 vine-ripened tomatoes
- 1/2 cup white wine
- salt and black pepper
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt water heavily. Add pasta and cook until al dente.
Meanwhile, peel and devein shrimp.
Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Mince garlic. Cut peppers in half lengthwise, remove seeds, then thinly slice.
Add garlic and peppers to oil and saute for 2 minutes until garlic softens. Roughly dice tomatoes. Add tomatoes and wine to the saute pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until wine has reduced by half.
Season shrimp well with salt and pepper. Add one cup of the pasta cooking water and the shrimp to the saute pan. Cook shrimp for 3-4 minutes until they have just turned pink.
Add pasta to the pan. Toss the pasta with the ingredients to combine, cooking for an additional minute if the mixture is still too liquid.
Season with salt and pepper if needed. Toss with the fresh torn basil and serve.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/amy-powell/1275-growing-chilies/