We have been quite successful in growing Aji Dulce peppers
in the VegHeadz garden. We first grew
them from seeds obtained at the Leon County Seed Library Program co-sponsored by
the Leon County Library, Sustainable Tallahassee, and the UF/IFAS Leon County Extension. Aji Dulce looks like a very hot Scotch Bonnet
pepper but is much milder and has a smoky flavor. It is known as the Sweet Habanero and
translates to “sweet chile pepper” in English.
It is often referred to variously as aji cachucha, ajicito, or aji
gustoso.
Schoville Heat Units are the measure of heat in
peppers. For instance the Habanero aka
Scotch Bonnet registers 100,000 to 350,000 SHUs while the ubiquitous Jalapeno
ranges from 3,000 to 8,000. While
slightly spicy, the Aji Dulce ranges only from 0 to 1,000 SHUs. Some are just sweet and some are mildly spicy—perfect
for salads or salsas, or for pickling and using in sandwiches or stuffing with
cheese.
The Aji Dulce is the traditional pepper used in Puerto Rico
and other parts of the Caribbean to make Sofrito, a sauce that is used as a
base in Latin American, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese cooking. There are many regional variations on the
sauce with some adding tomatoes, some which add bay leaves, carrots, or chorizo and
other ingredients, but most contain garlic and all contain peppers. It can be used as a base for pasta sauces, sautéed
vegetables, soups, stews, beans, meats, rice, or in dips and spreads.
In the tropics this pepper is grown as a perennial. In our area it has a very long producing
season but will die back in freezing weather.
Start the seeds inside under grow lights in mid-January and set seedlings out
after the last frost in mid-March. Grown in compost-enriched garden soil, it takes
no special care and matures to a compact shrubby plant about three feet
tall and wide with a profusion of 1 to 2 inch peppers which start green and
mature into brilliant yellows and reds. A
delightful plant.
Here is a Sofrito recipe for your peppers. Many others are available from various sources online.
SOFRITO
12 large Aji Dulce peppers
1 small bunch cilantro1 head garlic
1 red bell pepper
½ green pepper
1 yellow onion
1 Tbsp. each capers, oregano and pepper
¼ cup pimento-stuffed olives
½ cup olive oil
Process all ingredients in food processor to texture of semi-chunky
salsa. Use at once, refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze in
recipe-size batches.
