[CH] Rebel Fire

Jim Weller (Jim.Weller@salata.com)
09 May 01 08:02:29 -0800 

 * Crossposted from: National Cooking Echo



I just came into two pieces of good luck here in the heatless north.

My co-op grocery store recently installed a rack containing sixty six,
count 'em, 66 new brands of hot sauces! Yellowknifers have truly
embraced the chile. The selection has never been better and I can now
purchase names I've only read about in the past. The bad news is they're
all priced at $4-6 per (small) bottle. >:-<

Now for the other good news: a chile-head friend of mine got transferred
out of town by his company very quickly, before he could use up his
groceries and I inherited 24 bottles of hot sauce, most of which haven't
been opened. I guess $6 for a 5 oz bottle didn't phase him. They range
all the way in strength from Frank's Louisiana sauce to Dave's Insanity
(which I have not tried out yet).

I'm in heaven, test sampling each and every one of them. One that I
liked a lot at first taste has seldom been mentioned on the Chile-Heads
list (or anywhere else I hang out for that matter) probably because it
is Canadian and without American channels of distribution.

It's called Rebel Fire #2 (there's also a #1 and a #3) made by Rebel
Fire Foods of Toronto. It's a reddish brown paste made from African
Mombassas, Mexican guajilos, anchos and Scotch bonnets together with
tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, garlic, lemons, cumin, mustard seed,
basil, dill, coriander seed, parsley, thyme, marjoram, black pepper and
bay leaves. It's a moderately hot 3 to 4 on the heat scale. There is
just a hint of molasses-like and tamarind flavours but that's from the
apple cider vinegar. The other herbs and spices really round out the
overall flavour. There's no overwhelming vinegar bite even though no
sugar has been added.

I found it to be an excellent seasoning for pork. I gave a roast of pork
a wet rub and let it sit for a few hours before roasting it and then
added an extra teaspoon of paste to the gravy that I made later.
Wonderful stuff! Left over pork went into the soup pot along with some
lima beans etc and just a little more Rebel Fire. Also wonderful.

I can recommend it to anyone out there who comes across it.

(now on to the next one....)


                                                YK Jim

.. My respect for chilies borders on worship.