Headstrong and vigorous the poblano chile is full of flavor and jumps at the chance to be stuffed with cheese and baked, or dredged in cornmeal and deep fried. Yet, just like people, a chile pepper becomes more serious, more thoughtful, and much more wrinkled with age. The ancho is a wizened poblano.
A mildly hot chile pepper, the ancho focuses its energies not on heat but its sugar content, which lends to its raisin-y taste. A bit smoky and possessing a bitterness reminiscent of baker's chocolate the ancho is a welcome addition to stews, soups, and - toasted and ground - a secret weapon in any chocolate dessert.
When ground into a powder: the chile becomes best for adding to rubs, to spice blends for chile con carne, or blitzed with a bit of butter and rubbed onto grilled ears of corn. We also like adding a ½ teaspoon of it to chocolate desserts.