[OT] Hot peppers

Ted - Thanks for the web page.

1. If the mouth is burning or even the hands.... caution! Run to the pantry for the peanut butter - The butter absorbs the pepper oil and saves the body!

I would th> I know there are a lot of pepperheads in this NG so:

The other advantage of habenero type peppers is that they have a wonderful apricot flavor under all that heat.

As for taming them: Chop finely and use in sauces and marinades with a strong sweetener like molasses or unrefined sugar. The sweetness helps counter the heat and brings out the subtle flavors of the peppers. Vinegar helps as well. (Especially cider vinegar).

Hmm. I am suddenly hungry for Jerk Chicken.

--RC

That which does not kill us makes us stronger. --Friedrich Nietzsche Never get your philosophy from some guy who ended up in the looney bin. -- Wiz Zumwalt

Another caution, don't wash down your peppers with scotch. I was trying to lose some weight, and put Tabasco on my salads instead of dressing. One night at the Hereford House in Kansas City, I washed down the first bite of salad with the last of my scotch. That popped the sweat on my head. I guess the alcohol solubilizes the capsaicin.

Haven't done that again.

Pete Keillor

" If the mouth is burning or even the hands.... caution! Run to the pantry for the peanut butter - The butter absorbs the pepper oil and saves the body!"

Back in the early 80s, my friend brought some homegrown habeneros back from florida & put them into pickling juice. We took them to our favorite watering hole one nite & passed them around. 1 guy shouted out, " No pepper is too hot for me" He was so overwhelmed that he rubbed his eyes & got some of the pickle juice in them. Then he proceded to run into the mens room & take a leak. After a short time both ends of him was on fire. He went from ranting asshole to humble human being in about 10 minutes.

Ted,

I believe these are also called Scotch Bonnet peppers. A variant of Habanero peppers. Some authoraties rate them hotter than Hobaneros, but I think they are about the same, since they are very closely related. Listed below is my recipe for Jamaican Jerk Paste, which uses them. This is a great "secret ingredient" for all sort of things. I use a teaspoon in beef stews, cheese souffle's, soups, etc., as a rub for chicken, pork, and game, and for other experimental uses around the kitchen. Good stuff, but watch out, it can be lethal in quantity.

-- Bob (Chief Pilot, White Knuckle Airways)

I don't have to like Bush and Cheney (Or Kerry, for that matter) to love America

Grandpa Bob's Jamaican Jerk Sauce

8 Scotch bonnet peppers, cleaned and halved

4 scallions

6 cloves garlic

6 oz fresh ginger, chopped

1 t salt

1 t cinnamon

4 oz extra virgin olive oil

water as needed

Grill Scotch bonnet peppers over charcoal or on grill. Grind allspice coarsely in a mortar and pestle, and then add vinegar. Allow to infuse for an hour to draw out the allspice flavor. Put all ingredients into a food processor, blend until finely chopped but not smooth. Bring to a gentle boil in a saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes. Makes 1 quart of sauce.

From:

Bob Chilcoat's own recipe, duplicating Grandpa Eddie's Brand Jerk Sauce, bought in Hoboken in 2001: May, 2003

A couple of things I do with habaneros:

Slice the pepper from the tip to near the stem (leaving a whole pepper with a "frayed" end). Dip the pepper into salsa, etc, and swirl it around a while. Remove pepper and discard; the flavor/heat will be added to your dish.

I like to cut a nice crisp apple into slices, and (very lightly) rub a piece of cut habanero onto each slice. Adds a wonderful taste and aroma to the apple, but try not to touch the apple to your lips when you eat it!

To me, the main attraction of the habanero is the aromatic, fruity flavor - not the heat. I enjoy smelling a freshly cut habanero almost as much as tasting it. This fall, I noticed that our Tea Olive blossoms, when smelled from close-up, have a very similar fragrance to the habanero.

And tell all your friends that there is not a 'tilde n' in the word. It's 'Habanero', not 'Habanyero'. (personal rant)

Joe

Ted Edwards wrote:

That's my problem with really hot peppers. I love 'em but I always end up tasting then twice. :-)

At last, someone who appreciates the flavor besides me! I keep trying to educate people on the distinction between "hot" and "flavor", but many of them appear to be clue-resistant.

Alan

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com (Wwj2110) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@mb-m10.aol.com:

Reminds me of a little comeuppance I witnessed a few years ago. We were having sushi at some friends' house and "Bob", who is rather bombastic, said that the wasabi "didn't affect" him. After saying this, he popped a heaping teaspoon of fresh wasabi into his mouth. He did his best to keep stonefaced, but his eyes started bugging out, and his face turned bright red, but he didn't crack. Or talk for about 10 minutes.

In the times we saw them after that, Bob never made a foolish claim that could be proven or disproven on the spot.

A lot of people don't realize that most of the wassail you get in restaurants or pre-mixed is relatively mild compared to the 'real deal'. The wasabi you get in Japan or that you make from the powder you purchase at a Japanese grocery store is a lot hotter.

--RC

That which does not kill us makes us stronger. --Friedrich Nietzsche Never get your philosophy from some guy who ended up in the looney bin. -- Wiz Zumwalt

Slow and careful frying in olive (or your favorite) oil will bring out the flavour while decreasing the heat. Careful trimming of the tissue surrounding the seeds will also lose some of the heat. When frying keep the heat low and do not let the peppers brown! Regards. Ken (who just got back from the central market here in La Ceiba, Honduras with a lovely bunch of Scotch bonnets)

I recently dicovered a great new Chili powder. I like hot & spicy but usually when I eat Chili I get heartburn during the night. Recently I was at my oldest Nephew's apartment. He had made a batch of Chili for a tailgate party the day before. Everyone at the party had complained that the CHili was too hot but they are all wusses. He knows I love the hot stuff so he gave me a 6 quart crockpot of it to take home. I reheated some for supper the next day. It was HOT. Hot enough that I had to drink about a quart of milk with it. I was expecting the usual "Chili" heartburn during the night. NOTHING. Slept like a baby. I had a couple bowls for lunch the next day and two more for supper that evening. Again another night of great sleep with no heartburn. I called my Nephew and asked him what kind of Chili powder he was using. He said he had shopped at the local Albertson's and got a new one called RETREAT. I guess they have several types of Chili and seasong packets. He gave me two packets and I am planning on making a big batch for the next home football game. If I can eat Chili without the heartburn I will be a very happy camper.

DL

"> After a short time both ends of him was on fire.

That's my problem with really hot peppers. I love 'em but I always end up tasting then twice. :-)"

I dont think that the fireass syndrome started on him until the next morning. His immediate problem was that he got the hot pickling juice on his crank when he took a leak.

I am addicted to ANYTHING hot.

I have heard that your brain dispatches endorphins to counteract the pain with the result that you experience a "natural high". (I'm hooked!) In any case,, I was wondering if the quart of milk might have had something to do with the holiday from the heartburn , rather then the brand of chili powder.

PS ...... Nothing bothers my stomach! (Second cousin to a billy goat)

Both are in the Habanero family but, from my reading, aren't the same.

I'm going to have to try that. Sounds like a varient od the Indonesian sauce called Sambal. There are many varients but my favourite is

Recipe for Sambal

Pick 5 lbs of hot peppers. (We usually use a blend of Hot Cherry, Hot Banana, Cayenne, ripe Jalapeno (i.e. red) and others according to taste and availability. e.g. Portugese, Thai Dragon, Habanaro or any other hot, red peppers that appeal to us.)

Wash off peppers. WHILE WEARING GLOVES: Remove stem, cut into 1" chunks. Make into smooth pulp in food processor in batches. Measure pulp. This should yield about 8 cups of pulp from your 5 pounds of peppers.

Place 8 c ground peppers in a suitable pot.

In food processor, grind:

We used to use individual herbs (Thyme, Oregano, Marjoram, Basil, Rosemary, Sage) until I read the label on the Italian and discovered it had the same ingredients we had been using. Of course if you grow your own herbs, do the obvious.

Simmer 30 min with frequent stirring.

Bottle in sterilized jars (we use pints). Process 10 min. in hot bath. Let cool and check for seal.

Makes 5 to 6 pints or 10 to 12 half pints.

Refrigerate after opening.

Serving suggetions: A teaspoon full can definitely liven up a batch of home made chili. Excellent as a condiment with pasta or rice. Use in salsa for serving with chips.

The peppers are chosen to give nice heat and _lots_ of flavour.

Ted

Nice idea!! How about leaving the pepper sitting, stem up, in the middle of the dish/bowl of salsa as a garnish?

Ted

I get the impression that you are not alone! Certainly that's my view.

See my recipe for Sambal Olek elsewhere in this thread.

Ted

Thought of that and will be trying a variation of it. Since trans- fats are to be avoided and commercial extra virgin olive oil is free of them, I want to keep the product that way. Temperatures at or above 150C convert cis- fats to trans- so my idea is to place the olive oil and chopped peppers in a bowl in a pot of boiling water. Basically, a double boiler.

Ted

I don't know if 100C - boiling water temp will do the trick. An electric frypan set at something between 120 an 140 should do it. IMHO the trans fat issue is minimal due to the small quantities that will eventually end up in a serving. Regards. Ken.