CaboMagic - 12-22-2006 at 10:47 PM
What is the proper method to prepare these for use .. tried soaking in hot water for three hours and the skins are still tough ..
On a related question are these the type found in Tortilla Soup?
Thanks in advance ... Lori
BajaNomad - 12-22-2006 at 11:41 PM
Apparently, soak them in boiling hot water for 20-30 minutes?:
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/guajillo.htm
http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/spices/chiligua.html
BajaNomad - 12-22-2006 at 11:47 PM
And apparently Edith's garnishes their Aztec ("traditional" tortilla) soup with guajillo peppers:
http://www.edithscabo.com/menu.htm
CaboMagic - 12-23-2006 at 08:04 AM
Thank you Doug .. maybe the batch I have is too old after soaking them for 3 Hours (reheating the water each time) the skins are still too leathery
tough & far from edible/enjoyable 
I will try again tho ...
I googled it and went to those sites and several more .. I was hoping someone with personal experience could give me their insiders tips!
Oso - 12-23-2006 at 10:04 AM
DON'T soak them first! Here's how Ana does it:
First split them and get rid of seeds and stems. Don't remove the veins (unless you're too wimpy to take the heat)
Next, toast them on a comal or dry frying pan until the skins start to crack and peel. A few blackened burnt spots are ok, just don't char
completely.
Next, rinse them off to remove any dirt etc.
THEN soak in very hot water or even boil just a bit.
After they've cooled, you shoud be able to peel off the paper-thin outer skin. Discard that. What remains should be soft and ready to stuff, cut
into rajas or put in the blender to make the main ingredient for the only true "chile con carne".
CaboMagic - 12-23-2006 at 06:50 PM
Thanks Oso!
Tommy & I tried everything .. did several different ways and finally resorted to scraping the chili to remove the good stuff ..
just cannot figure out how to do this so we can properly peel that skin!
Will have to take lessons :-)
Merry FishMas Amigos and Amigas
fdt - 12-23-2006 at 09:12 PM
My mom used to just roast them on the flame on the stove and then the peel is easy to take off It's called tatemar los chiles.
Merry Fishmas to you to
Bajalero - 12-24-2006 at 01:18 PM
Cabo Magic.
Use the tough skin to your advantage.
I watch my grandmother do this and she uses scissors to cut off the stems , then if she is going to remove the seeds for a milder sauce, she slits
them up one side and wipes most of the seed out with a finger.
Then rinse the chiles once to get the dust off and place them in a pot of water to cover and heat till it comes to a boil then turn off the stove and
cover the chiles with a lid for 45min. to an hour.
Now , what your after is the pulp of the chili , so as soon as the pulp is reconstituted , grab a hand full( not too many ) and put them in a blender
with just enough of the liquid to enable a blending action . Do not try to liquify this but break it down fairly fine . This should be about the
thickness of tomato sauce for reference.
The next step is to pour this through a 6"-8" strainer, that has mesh size about that of window screen , over a clean bowl or another sauce pan. At
this point all you do is shake the ground up paste back and forth in the sieve and most of the pulp comes right out , leaving the tough skin behind.
You can press out the last little bit of pulp with a spatula then chuck the leftover skin . Repeat until all the chiles are blended and sieved then
you can add what ever you want to make a salsa or add this sauce directly to soups and stews.
Hope this helps , it's actually easy once you do it.
lero
CaboMagic - 12-24-2006 at 06:41 PM
Thank you Doug Thank you Oso thank you Ferna Thank you Lero!
Mission accomplished for the salsa for the tuna and dorado & all are invited 
.. still trying to figure out what type of torn pieces of chili we had in tortilla soup .. very delicious and the skins were not
like leather at all .. spicy heat that lingered long enough with the flavors of the soup in your mouth ..
Best fishes to all for a most enjoyable holiday celebration!
[Edited on 12-25-2006 by CaboMagic]
[Edited on 12-25-2006 by CaboMagic]
