Instructions

1. Go through the chilipitins and toss any that have damage, bruising or discoloration. Rinse the chilipitins in a sieve under cool running water.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and fill a bowl with ice. Pour cold water over the ice until covered.

3. Blanch the chilipitas in boiling water for 4 minutes and transfer them to the ice water using a slotted spoon. Cool the peppers for a couple minutes in the ice water.

4. Drain the chilipitas in the sieve and spread them out in an even layer on a towel. Pat the peppers dry with paper towels.

5. Set the oven to the Warm setting. Spread out the chilipitins on a drying rack without touching each other.

   If you don't have a drying rack, spread the peppers out on a piece of cheesecloth wrapped around a wire cooling rack and set on top of a rimmed baking sheet. The cheesecloth doesn't have to fit very tightly, just enough to prevent the peppers from falling through the rack.

6. Place the peppers on the oven rack. Prop the oven door open 3 or 4 inches with a folded kitchen towel. Open any adjacent windows or doors and turn on the ceiling fan and the kitchen's hood ventilation system.

7. Dry the chilipitins until they turn dark red or crimson and shrink but remain flexible, between 12 and 24 hours depending on their ripeness and size.

8. Store the dried chilipitins in an airtight container in a cool dry place up to one year.