Cubanelle Chili / Italian Frying Pepper

[Capsicum annuum]

This Chili is said to have been brought from southern Italy in 1887, and is now very much favored in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba. They are called for in many recipes, but are not at all available here in Southern California, and in many other regions of North America, so substitutions must be made. Cubanelles are usually very mild, solidly within hotness H1, but they can occasionally get to the high end of H2. They are usually harvested while still yellow-green, but turn bright red if allowed to ripen fully. They have rather thin skins and thin walls, and grow to about 6 inches long. Photo by United States Department of Agriculture = public domain.

Substitutions:

Here in Southern California, we can use sweet Hungarian or Armenian / Turkish peppers when available. When they are not, I buy a bag of Mini Peppers and use 3 to 4 times the number called for. This works quite well, but sometimes a little hot chili added with them is good, as they tend to be very mild. Otherwise half an Anaheim (thicker walls, a little more heat). Green bell pepper would be a very distant choice, (very thick walls, strong flavor and thick skins). For Anaheims or Bell Peppers I would blast the skins with my Kitchen Torch and brush them off under running water.