Homemade Item: CRUSHED RED PEPPER

 I live in a condo, but dream of having a garden someday. And when I have this dream garden I’m going to grow bell peppers. And anyone who has grown peppers knows how many peppers grow on each pepper plant.

So, what to do with all those peppers? One idea is crushed red pepper.

Start with a few ripe red peppers. Did you know that red peppers are just green peppers that have stayed on the plant longer?

Wash the peppers really well and then slice them up. You want to make sure the slices are even so that they will dry at the same rate.

Place the pepper slices on the dehydrator trays.

Turn the dehydrator on. I turned mine to about 140°. Come back in 14 to 16 hours.

Tada! The peppers should be nice and dry. You will know they are done when they are brittle and break apart easy. I was in a hurry to make these and didn’t quite dry them long enough, which made them harder to crush. Lesson learned; make sure they are very dry before crushing because it’s worth it in the end.

Here they are! All shriveled and dry. They smell so good, well, if you like the way peppers smell.

This is my kitchen helper; he came to see how things were going and to make sure I was doing everything ok.

Pull all the peppers off the racks.

I got this mortar and pestle a few years ago and it has been awesome for crushing the herbs that I grow and dry. It’s a little old school and takes a little longer but I think it’s worth it.

Throw some pepper slices in the bowl . . .

And crush, crush, crush!

Here is what they look like when they are done. I like the mortar and pestle because it makes really small pieces and if your herbs or peppers are really dry you can get a nice powder.

You can also use a food processor, if you are all modern and stuff. This passed inspection by the kitchen helper so we can move forward.

My food processor can’t chop up the peppers as small as I would like, but maybe you have an amazing fancy one at home that can really do a number on these peppers.

See how big the pieces still are.

Well, when everything was crushed sufficiently, here is what I ended up with.

I’ve been using the same old bottle for a while now, it might be time to get a new one. When I make up a fresh batch of crushed red pepper, I like to throw away whatever is left in the bottle because I don't like to mix old and new batches.

My five peppers refilled my entire bottle. Even though the chunks are big it will just add more punch and flavor when I use it in recipes.

Well, that's it, enjoy!