Spice of the Month: Pasilla Chili

Ever tried Ancho Chili in your soup or homemade chili? If you have, then you are aware of its sweet, yet smoky flavor and mild heat that is just enough to let you know it is there. Well, if you are looking to branch out from the routine consider the Pasilla (pronounced pah-SEE-yah; literally "little raisin") Chili to your next dish. Sometimes mislabeled as Ancho at some establishments, they are a different pepper entirely. Pasilla Chili Peppers are generally used in sauces and moles, however, they can be added to just about anything where you want a more distinctive and trickier-to-guess flavor. Pasilla Chilis are a bit more unique than Ancho and have less heat than a Guajillo Chili. Recently, we used them in our grilled turkey burgers. They came out...well, we will not toot our own horn, pretty darn good.  Here's the recipe we used, although, we pretty much eyeballed the quantities.

Pasilla Chili Turkey Burgers
Time to Prep 10 minutes, Time to Cook 20 minutes

1 pound ground turkey
2 tablespoons Pasilla Chili Powder, or to taste
1 tablespoons Mediterranean Sea Salt
Chopped Cilantro (about a quarter cup)
Diced Onion (about a cup)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix everything together and shape into patties. Cook on the stove, in the oven, or on the grill. Makes about 5 burgers.