Those don't look like pasillas unless there's a special variety out there. My pasillas resemble bells sort of. I'll let the experts weigh in but those look like some sort of stunted roasting pepper. In which case, roasting them is ideal. ;)

Kevin

Look like the Pasilla Bajio I got from peppermania this year.

I'm also curious to the best use green, mine haven't ripened either - all green.

Your pods look like what is sold as Pasilla. Technically, Pasilla is the dried Chilaca pepper... at least from what I've learned from Mexican cooks/chefs.

The "ripe" brown/black dried pods are a prime ingredient in the famous Oaxacan Black Mole.

Sorry, not sure how to use the green pods. Hopefully others with more knowledge chime in.

I'm curious too. I've already harvested a lot of ripe ones, but my plants are covered in green ones right now, not sure if there's enough time for them to ripen.

Pasilla types are used in similar recipes as Poblanos, in fact interchangeable in many recipes. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/roasted-pasilla-peppers-with-corn-and-cotija-recipe/index.html http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/saturdays-with-rachael-ray-pasilla-pepper-sliders/

Here is a link that might be useful: Pasilla Recipes.

farmerdill,

I'm afraid you may have been unknowingly misinformed by, shall we say, ignorant "expert" chefs, producers and grocers who use Pasilla interchangeably with Poblano.

A Pasilla (dried Chilaca) is an entirely different pepper than a Poblano.

Just another example of pepper (chile) naming confusion. I wonder if any other fruit or vegetable group is subject to the same misnaming and general confusion?

See link below for an example of ignorant misinformation.

Ignorant: knowing you should check something but not bothering.
Innocent: Not knowing you should know to check or being misinformed when you check.

Here is a link that might be useful: Green Pasilla

roast em, or dry em.

I pic mine as soon as they start to get dark.
They turn brown after a few days in a bag.
I think they taste better brown.

I use them for rubs and spice mixes a lot along with Cascabel peppers.
Chilhaucle Negro is even better in my opinion.
Chile Negro,Pasila Bajo and chilaca are a pain in the but to keep from getting sun scald here when I grow them.

I can get 12-18 inch Chilaca at the Mexican markets here,fresh for cheeper than a #15 gal. bucket and potting soil.
Under $2.00 LB. for the pods that are mostly dark green,just turning brown.
3 days and they are brown after I buy them.

Thanks everyone. They are definitely not similar to Poblano peppers, they are smaller, longer and the meat is thinner. I grew holy mole peppers last year and they seem very similar. I never knew what to do with the holy mole. Earlier in the season I googled Pasilla peper and the confusion with poblano peppers is pretty well documented. I guess many say poblano and pasilla are the same, but they definitely are not. I put mine in a paper bag to ripen to brown as suggested, and then I'll dry them and grind them. Thanks for all the suggestions.

After dried and ground, they are wonderful in chili! That's my main use for them.

That's what I planned to use them for....once they ripened.

Awesome, thanks! Should I cut them in half before drying?

I don't, I just toss them on the dehydrator. you can if you want, they will dry faster.

I'm so excited, my pasilla bajios and holy moles are so heavily covered in fruit right now they are laying over. I just hope the temps stay high enough for them to ripen.
pam

Chilaca = chile negro depending upon where you are and they vary from very dark green to black, hence the name

Dried chilaca is pasilla.

Chilaca makes good shooters.

Chilaca:

Pasilla

I wonder if anyone has ever tried using pasilla bajios for salsa. They're the only ripe peppers in my garden just now. Should I use them fresh or go ahead and dry them first?

there's no reason in this world not to experiment. you've got the pods, give it a try. maybe don't make too much, in case you don't like it.

Funny, I was just wondering what to do with mine, they are coming in strong now. Let us know how the salsa turns out!

I would snack on holy mole, Chop them into salsa salad(not sauce), Grill them.
I have grown poblano and Holy Mole. Poblano is good grilling, stuffing(like you do with Bells). To stuff with cheese, burn and peel the skin off(that is how some Mexicans do it)

I had a Holy Mole plant this season(still going) but I ate all the pots before they ripen, to collect seeds.
Yesterday I was in Asiam market. They had nice Chilaca. I pick a few and a nice ripe one(red/black) in order to save seeds from it. I will dry them(after fishing the seeds) to have PASILLAs.

So it gets confusing. Holy mole = chilaca = psilla Bajo = Chili Negro = Black Chili = PASILLO(when dried)

Pasilla peppers are a mole pepper. Mole is a sauce (or stew) for pork and/or chicken, and sometimes used for enchiladas. Most call for the inclusion of ground nuts or seeds, onion, garlic, tomatoes, various spices and sometimes potatoes.

Both mole and chile con carne (actual chile con carne w/o any nasty beans) use lots of pasilla both for color and taste.

I could not grow any this past season. So I bought a bag of pods. They have very little heat but a lot of smoked flavor and color that I like.

Seysonn

I just picked a couple dozen of them and can't wait to try them in something. I cooked some little French Green lentils yesterday with them diced up fresh in it. It gives a slightly sweet taste but no heat that I can detect but then I like spicey Indian & Thai food so maybe I'm not a good judge of that. But the flavor is delicious.