The Guajillo pepper pronounced [gwah-HEE-yoh] is a shiny, thick, leathery, red orange-red chile with bland to moderate amounts of heat. Guajillo are the most commonly grown chiles in Mexico, and are sold whole, dried. The Guajillo chile has a green tea flavor with berry tones and sweet heat. It’s lengthened shape thins out in to a point, sometimes being slightly curved. Since Guajillo peppers have a tough skin they have to be soaked longer than other chiles before being used. Guajillos can get ground or hydrated into a thin paste or red flavorful sauce. They are usually used to make salsa for tamales, salsas, pastes, butters, chile sauces, rubs to flavor all kinds of meats such as chicken; soups and stews. Tips: Wipe the Guajillo peppers with a most towel to remove soil or dust before toasting. Before soaking and blending, remove the chiles from the bag; remove the seeds, stems, and much of the veins as you can. Then slice the peppers and place in a bowl. You can store guajillos for up to six months or more, by storing them in an air tight container in a cool dry place. Guajillos can be substituted with New Mexico Chiles, Cascabels or California Chiles.
