[CH] Forget the mild life -- pepper fans can't get enough of hot chilies
Linda Hutchinson (lipant@sympatico.ca)
Wed, 26 Jul 2006 09:13:51 -0400
Forget the mild life -- pepper fans can't get enough of hot chilies
By Gwen Schoen -- Sacramento Bee Food Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Chili-heads have no sympathy for those of us who live in fear of the hot
pepper.
While blinking back tears, mopping sweaty brows and reaching for tissues to
dab at their noses, they croak their insults and boast of their conquests.
"Only a wimp takes out the seeds," says Margaret Watson Hopkins of Rancho
Murieta.
"My motto is, if it doesn't work with a hot pepper, it's not food," says
Elizabeth Weintraub of Land Park. "I've been known to eat peppers so hot
that nothing would help, not milk or even bread. The only thing I could do
was stand over the kitchen sink and drool into it."
"I'm a hottie," says Pattee Thorpe of Rocklin. "I eat hot peppers on
everything: cereal, popcorn, ice cream. Once I was in a specialty food shop
in Virginia where the owner was offering hot peppers to sample. He said the
peppers were so hot that we had to sign a waiver stating we wouldn't sue him
if our mouths caught on fire. I signed the waiver and bought five jars."
Most Americans just don't understand the complexities of flavors in hot
peppers, according to chef Rick Bayless, author of "Authentic Mexican:
Regional Cooking From the Heart of Mexico" (Morrow Cookbooks, 384 pages,
$30). Bayless is the chef and owner of Chicago's Frontera Grill and
Topolobampo, two of the nation's most acclaimed Mexican restaurants.
"Most people focus on the heat and not the variety of flavors that hot
peppers have to offer. Dumping a lot of fire into a dish is not good
cooking," Bayless says.
"Flavors can range from sweet to astringent and from mild to picante (spicy
hot)," he says. "Some peppers have a grassy or floral flavor and others are
smoky, nutty and earthy. When you know the difference, you can completely
change the flavors of your dish."
Chili-head Weintraub says she's a connoisseur who can definitely tell the
difference between the varieties.
"It's more than just heat," she says. "Some are deeper, richer flavor and
some are more smoky. There is a difference, and people who really know their
chilies can taste it."
You couldn't prove it to Jerry Bell, who grows 20 types of hot peppers in
his garden in Rocklin.
"They're just hot," Bell says. "I can't tell the difference. It's way beyond
me if folks can taste nutty or fruity hints. That's baloney."
Still, Bell is a fan of hot peppers. He grows them for the heat. The hotter
the better, but he says there's one type even he is afraid to taste. "It's
the red savina habanero," Bell says. "I'm afraid to eat them fresh. I just
dry them and grind them up for cooking spice. They are so hot I wear rubber
gloves and safety glasses when handling them."
Jim Crupi, who once thought he was a chili-head, remembers his encounter
with a red savina.
"In 1996, I ate a habanero burger with a friend at Prince of Wales Pub in
San Mateo," says Crupi, who lives in North Highlands. "It's a burger with
chopped habanero on top. It was brutal. It is hard to explain the overall
feeling that eating that much raw habanero with pints of beer gives a
person. I felt like I was hit by a truck.
"After an hour or so, my friends left me there," he says. "When I finally
made it home, my mom thought I was high. When I told my parents that I was
not high, but had just eaten a habanero burger, my dad laughed really hard.
"Later, I found out that it was the pub's anniversary so they were serving a
special variety of habanero called the red savina, which is twice as hot as
a normal habanero. I would not do it again for $1,000," Crupi says.
It's the capsaicin, an alkaloid found in many types of chilies, that gives
them heat. Some peppers have it, some do not. Bell peppers, for example,
have none. A red savina habanero could send you begging for ice cubes or
beer.
The capsaicin is concentrated in the stem end and along the veins. The seeds
themselves are not hot, Bayless says, but because they grow close to the
veins, they seem hot.
Size is not an indication of heat.
"Small chilies can be mild, while some big ones can make you beg for mercy,"
Bayless says.
If you are looking for inferno, Thai and habanero chilies fit that bill. If
you like a lot of heat but no tears, try jalapeņo. Chilies that rate wimpy
on the heat scale include el paso, serrano, Anaheim, New Mexico, pasilla and
poblano, all readily found in local stores and farmers markets.
A good rule from Bayless: Use chilies sparingly in dips and salad dressings
until you've had a sample and can judge the level of heat.
When handling chilies, pay attention to Bell's caution about gloves and
goggles, especially when cooking hot peppers. After all, chilies are used to
make self-defense pepper sprays. It's also worth noting that capsaicin can
linger on your skin and burn for hours. Make sure you do not touch sensitive
areas of your body, especially your eyes, after working with fresh chilies.
There are several remedies for chili burns, but none of them works very
well, according to both Bell and Bayless. Washing skin with a very mild
solution of bleach and water can take out some of the sting, or try rubbing
the area with ice.
"Some people say drinking milk or cream or eating sugar or yogurt helps,"
Bell says. "None of it works. You just have to live with the burn until it
goes away. After a few times, you'll learn to be more careful."
How hot is it?
Capsaicin, an alkaloid found in chilies, is what gives them heat. Some
peppers have it, some do not.
Capsaicin is measured on the Scoville scale, named after its inventor,
Wilbur Scoville. One part capsaicin per million equals 15 Scoville units. A
bell pepper, for example, registers zero and pure capsaicin is 16 million
Scoville units.
The hottest pepper ever recorded, according to the Royal Society of
Chemistry, was a red savina habanero at 577,000 Scoville units.
Here's how the most common fresh peppers measure up:
Bell and sweet Italian: 0 Scoville units
Pepperoncini: 100-500
New Mexico: 500-1,000
Ancho, pasilla, poblano: 1,000-1,500
Sandia, rocotillo: 1,500-2,500
Jalapeņo: 2,500-10,000
Serrano: 5,000-10,000
Habanero, Scotch bonnet: 80,000-300,000
Thai: 100,000-350,000
Red savina habanero: 577,000
Habanero jelly
Prep time: 45 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Makes 6 pints
This recipe is from Jerry Bell of Rocklin. He uses it to preserve much of
his pepper crop. The Bells give jars of pepper jelly as gifts, and serve it
with crackers and cream cheese.
Bell cautions: Wear goggles because the steam will burn your eyes. Also wear
gloves because the peppers could blister your hands. He makes the jelly
outdoors, but if you make it in your kitchen, be sure to turn on the range
fan.
24 fresh habanero peppers
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 cup sugar
6 jars, 18 ounces each, apple jelly
1 pouch of liquid pectin
Wearing gloves, slice peppers in half, remove stems and seeds, and then
slice them into thin slivers. Place peppers in a large pan with vinegar and
sugar. Over medium-high heat, simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Turn on stove fan.
Place jelly in a large pan and melt it over low heat, stirring until all
lumps are gone.
Add pectin to apple jelly and boil hard for 1 minute. Stir in vinegar and
habanero mix. Quickly pour hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head
space. Wipe rims clean. Place hot lids on jars and screw bands until tight.
Note: Bell does not use the water-bath process for his jelly; however, that
step is recommended by Ball canning jars.
For the water-bath process, place filled jars in a canner filled with
boiling water. Make sure jars are completely covered with water. Boil for 10
minutes. Remove jars from the boiling water and allow them to cool on a
rack. As the jelly cools, shake and turn the jars upside down so that the
pepper bits distribute throughout the jelly.
Per tablespoon: 44 cal.; 0 pro.; 12 g carb.; 0 fat; 0 chol.; 0 sod.; 0
fiber; 11 g sugar; 0 percent calories from fat.
Jalapeņo hushpuppies
Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 3 minutes per batch | Makes 18
This recipe is from "Emeril's New New Orleans Cooking" by Emeril Lagasse and
Jessie Tirsch (William and Morrow, $27, 368 pages). They are great with
fish, and can be substituted for fries.
Vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 cup minced onions
2 fresh jalapeņos, minced
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
Essence, optional
Pour 1 inch of oil in a small, heavy skillet or deep-fat fryer. Preheat the
oil to 365 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, hot
sauce, onions and jalapeņos. Stir in the eggs and milk. Mix until fully
incorporated.
Drop 1 tablespoon of batter at a time into heated oil, keeping hush- puppies
separated. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown, turning often to
make sure they are evenly browned. Remove from oil and drain on a
paper-lined plate.
Season with Essence if desired.
Per hushpuppy: 96 cal.; 2 g pro.; 14 g carb.; 3 g fat (1 sat., 1 monounsat.,
1 poly- unsat.); 25 mg chol.; 168 mg sod.; 0 fiber; 0 sugar; 30 percent
calories from fat.
Mango salsa
Prep time: 25 minutes | Makes 1 1/3 cups
Mango salsa is great served over fish, pork or poultry. If you are brave,
make it with habanero chilies. The recipe is from "Baja!: Cooking on the
Edge" by Deborah Schneider (Rodale Books, $27.95, 274 pages).
Note: The prep time does not include the 30-minute standing time before
serving.
1 large mango, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/8-inch dice
1/3 cup finely diced red onion
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon minced habanero chile or 2 tablespoons minced serrano chile
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon finely chopped mint
2 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper, optional
Combine ingredients in order given. Let stand at room temperature for at
least 30 minutes before serving. It is best served the same day it is made.
Per 1/3 cup: 49 cal.; 0 pro.; 13 g carb.; 0 fat; 0 chol.; 472 mg sod.; 1 g
fiber; 11 g sugar; 0 percent calories from fat.
Pico de gallo
Prep time: 25 minutes | Makes 2 1/2 cups
In Mexico, fresh salsa is always on the table. This recipe, also from
"Baja!: Cooking on the Edge," can be adjusted for hotness and texture.
Note: The prep time does not include the 30-minute standing time before
serving.
5 large ripe Roma tomatoes
6 cilantro sprigs, stemmed
1 small white onion
2 fresh serrano chilies
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
Juice of 1 lime
Core tomatoes and slice thinly, set aside. Roughly chop cilantro; set aside.
Cut onion into smallest dice you can manage; set aside. Chop chilies.
Chop onion and chilies together again until onions are more finely diced.
Scoop up tomatoes and cilantro and put them on top of onions and keep
chopping until all ingredients are finely chopped and blended together. When
the salsa is a rosy, juicy heap, scoop everything, including the juices,
into a serving bowl. Season with the salt and lime juice. Let the flavors
mellow for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Per 1/2 cup: 21 cal.; 1 g pro.; 5 g carb.; 0 fat; 0 chol.; 759 mg sod.; 1 g
fiber; 3 g sugar; 0 percent calories from fat.
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Linda
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