Pimento De Cheru

[VGary]

Someone sent me a few seed of the Pimento De Cheru; I understand it is originally from Brazil. I have only grown a few pepper varieties over the years but they were the common types. Anyone here grown this pepper and can tell me what to expect? How is it used?
Gary/Louisville

PS --- This seems to be the correct name for this pepper.
Pimenta de Cheiro, grown by John Moore in Melbourne, Austraila. This is one of the two main culinary chiles used in Brazil.

The name pimenta de cheiro means (roughly) "scented chile", and it is used as much for its taste as for its heat. It is also called "pimenta arriba saia", which refers to the women raising their skirts to fan their faces because of the heat of the food. It is, I believe, C. chinense, and looks very much like habanero, from the photos I have seen of habaneros. Pimenta de Cheiro is larger [than a habanero plant] with even darker green leaves which are smooth rather than crinkled like the others. Itis actually quite a handsome plant with its deep green foliage and rich orange fruit.

"Pimenta de Cheiro (C. chinense)- One of the tastiest chinenses I've tried so far. Quite hot and very useful in the kitchen. Beatiful bright yellow pods."

"Pimenta de cheiro has round yellow fruits, the size of a pea. This is a highly aromatic variety used to flavor fish stews and tucupi sauce, and is mild."

Pimenta de cheiro is used whole in a small number of casserole/stew type dishes, such as Sarapatel, sometimes called the Brazilian haggis, made from offal, blood, pimenta de cheiro and a few other things.
Oriinally from the Recife area of Brazil.

Pimenta de Cheiro -- Picture
C. chinense; early and prolific producer of 1x1", smooth fruits which are widest in the center and taper to a sharp point; fruits turn from yellow/purple to red; very hot with excellent smokey flavor. From open market in Brazil.
http://sev.lternet.edu/~jnekola/Heirloom/PeppersP.htm

Beans and More Beans
Ingredients:

1 lb. of beans (cranberry, pinto or red kidney)
a couple of bay leaves
one large onion finely chopped
4 (or more) garlic cloves chopped or crushed
1/2 cup of diced green pepper
1/2 cup of diced red pepper
1 cup of diced tomatoes (no need to take off the seeds)
1 cup of cilantro leaves torn coarsely
salt and pepper
Optional:

cumin
ground coriander seeds
cayenne pepper
your favourite fresh chiles (habanero, jalapeno, malagueta or pimenta-de-cheiro)
Preparation:

Soak the beans overnight and cook with the bay leaves until tender; you can also cook them without soaking in a pressure cooker for about 20 minutes (start counting the time after the pressure has built up).

Put some oil on a skillet, heat it up and add the onions. Sautee for about 2 minutes at medium heat and add the garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste and keep sauteeing until the onions become translucent but not browned. Add the whole thing to the beans with the rest of the vegetables except for the cilantro. Boil the beans for another 20 minutes or until they begin to thicken and then add the cilantro and cook for another 5 minutes.

Note you can add your favourite seasonings with the vegetables. I recommend cumin, ground coriander and cayenne pepper or chopped fresh chiles (habanero, jalapeno or the Brazilian malagueta and pimenta de cheiro). Also remember to taste and adjust the salt after you add the vegetables. Optionally, you can add the juice of one lime or some red wine vinegar.

This is the vegetarian version. If want to enhance the taste and make it more authentic, add some sausage or bacon with the vegetables (I usually sautee them separately to get rid of some of the fat, but you don't have to). Serve with rice.

If you want to try a recipe for black beans, it's basically the same thing, but leave out the peppers, tomatoes and cilantro. Instead of them, you may add salt-pork, but note that the meat has to be soaked for about 8 hours (changing the water several times) to get rid of the salt and may be cooked with the beans from the start or cooked separately and added to the beans later, if you wish. If by any chance you can get an assortment of different types of meat (jerked beef - not the same as the American version, sausage, pork chops, pork loin and less than noble parts that people other than me may like - pigs feet, ears and tail), cut them up and add to the beans after de-salted and cooked: what you have then is the basic component for out national dish "Feijoada".

"Feijoada" may sound bizarre for most foreign people due to the combination of odd parts of pork with the black beans, but there is an interesting bit of history behind this: during the sad times of slavery, the poor folk would gather up whatever meats their "owners" would not consider noble enough for their tables. All that would have been otherwise thrown away was then used to flavour the beans and in time this became the most famous dish, or should I say "feast" in Brazilian cuisine.

"Feijoada" is sort of a banquet type of meal because it includes black beans and meat, prepared as above, plus several side dishes which can vary regionally. The most commonly found are:

peeled oranges segments
collard greens finely cut and sauteed with garlic in olive oil served with crispy bits of bacon
a vinaigrette sauce made with vinegar, olive oil, sliced onions and hot peppers
"farofa" (toasted manioc meal with seasonings)

More Brazillian Recipes
www.iei.net/~pwagner/recipes.htm