Cooking with Chilli pepper

[Darlica]

Hi my name is Darlica and I'm a chili head...

I thought it could be a good idea to start a thread about cooking with chili since we stumbled in to that area in the gardening forum.

Good fresh chili is sometimes hard to find over here so at any given time there are between 10 and 15 kinds of hot chilli sauces in my frigde and  thai pepper in the frezzer.

My current favorite food that includes chili would be Thai squid and chili salad.

The oddest thing I have tasted so far that contained chili is my SOs habanero vodka...



How about you?

[Aggie]

I'm Agujjim and I'm a chili head...   um, even my screen name is a very spicy monkfish dish.


I keep a few varieties in the freezer (definitely red & green Thais or Super Chilies, plus habaneros when they go on sale, and whatever's left of the latest can of chipotles).

Trying to make a mental list of the spicy stuff in the fridge... 

sriracha
chili garlic paste
sambal oelek
kochujjang
pepper sauce (Jamaican style)
hot bean paste
chili oil (homemade)
kimchi and other assorted side dishes

and the cupboard:

cayenne pepper
canned chipotle
kochukaru
chili flakes
various mid-east & Indian spice blends

I think that's about it.


I like heat with just about anything, so I can't pick a favorite.  Sometimes if I haven't got my spicy fix I'll just eat frozen habaneros...  can we have habanero ice cream?

[Aggie]

OH!  Darlica, you have to try Sibling Chatty's Texas chili recipe:

Chili con Carne

This makes an authentic Texas style chili. It even complies with Texas law (which prohibits making chili with beans, and it's a damned good thing). Beans are a side dish. IF you must have beans, have the decency to use pintos, or a small red bean, not those nasty kidney beans that people pretend are chilibeans. Some of the "championship chili" makers use tomato paste, tomato sauce or tomato something. This here one don', because they wasn't too much of that canned stuff around.

This is pretty much how chili was made before there was all the ground up, prepackaged powdered this and that and other crap. It's closer to the kind of chili that was served to cattle drovers and hands in the
days of the trail drives, one of the reputed places chili came from.

Servings:  6
Ingredients:

          3 lbs  boned beef chuck, or similar, coarse grind through a meat grinder You can use almost any meat. Venison's good, a combo of venison and wild javalina is very good. Improvise with what's available. Goat is OK, if you like the taste of goat.
          1 Tbsp bacon drippings
          6 or more dried ancho peppers, or can roast fresh ones
          2 cups cold water
          1 Tbsp oregano
          3 cups water
          1 Tbsp cumin seeds, crushed
          2 tsp  salt
          2 tsp  cayenne
          2      cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
          2 Tbsp masa harina (Mexican corn/hominy flour, not cornmeal)

Brown the meat in small batches in the bacon fat. (You can render suet if you want to, but bacon fat will do.) I use a cast iron skillet, fairly high heat. Transfer the cooked meat to a second large heavy skillet using a slotted spoon, and set aside.  Wash the peppers in cold water.  Discard the stems and seeds. Tear the peppers into small pieces, about 2" square.  Place the pieces in a small sauce pan with the first two cups of (cold) water, put the lid on and let it simmer for about half an hour.

Drain, reserving the cooking water, then peel the skin from the peppers.
If you're using fresh peppers, or can't get anchos and have to fake it-- the best advice is to end up with about 2 to 2 and1/2 cups of pepper mass. (Roast fresh anchos over an open flame, dunk into ice water and slip off the skin. Can do with any other peppers, adding jalapenos and/or habaneros as you see fit.) Here's the big decision. You can either use a food processor, or you can go the hard way and smash 'em up by hand. Me? My Mama raised a fool, but he don't live here. (Place the pepper mass in the work bowl of a food processor.  Add the reserved water. Puree with short pulses.)  Mix the pepper puree into the beef.  Add the second measure of water (3 cups).  Bring to a boil over high heat, then  reduce to a slow simmer.  Cover.  Simmer for 30 minutes.

Stir in all the remaining ingredients except the masa harina.  Cover.
Simmer 45 minutes.  Mix in the masa harina.  Cover.  Reduce heat to the
lowest possible.  Cook 30 minutes longer, stirring occasionally so that
the mixture doesn't stick.  If too thick, thin with small amounts of
boiling water. (The masa is a flour. You may need to save out a half cup of water to mix it in to make a paste to work into the chili, or else, you'll have tho sprinkle and stir, sprinkle and stir.)

Now, some folks use beer for part of the liquid, some us coffee for a part of it. (Some use both.) The pepper mass can be changable, depending on what peppers are available. Anchos make a smooth, flavorful chili, as they're a larger, tastier chili, and when dried properly have an almost smoky taste. BUT they aren't as hot as some chilis.

This is authentic. Later day chili makers use boullion, MSG, chili powder, basil, sage, and FSM knows what else.

Serve it with chopped onion, some grated cheese, pinto beans and cornbread. (Pintos are to be cooked with some diced onion, a hambone, a little bit of cilantro, some salt and pepper. No hambone, add a bit of finely chopped ham.)

Leftovers go over a bowl of Fritos with cheese and onions. IF you have leftovers.


I've made this, it's GREAT!

[Darlica]

  Sometimes if I haven't got my spicy fix I'll just eat frozen habaneros...  can we have habanero ice cream?

Try this; take some habanero peppers remove the seeds through a cut on the side (a bit tricky but makes it look much nicer), leave the stem in place, fill with Mango or Passionfruit sherbet, dip in melted dark chocolate. Indulge.

[Aggie]

Try this; take some habanero peppers remove the seeds through a cut on the side (a bit tricky but makes it look much nicer), leave the stem in place, fill with Mango or Passionfruit sherbet, dip in melted dark chocolate. Indulge.

  Very tempting...  need to find the peppers, because I have a whole bunch of ripe Atauflo mangoes at home that could be turned into sherbet.

[Bluenose]

Hi, I'm Bluenose and I'm a chilli head.  It all started with me mum's chilli con carne (probably not as good a Chatty's one, but you have to start somewhere).  Then I joined the Royal Australian Navy and travelled through a fair bit of south east Asia.  The more different kinds of chilli sauces and dished with chilli in them them more I liked them.  Fresh chillied mudcrab is one of life's truly great experiences.

I have quite a few different chilli sauces and other chilli like spices in my pantry/refrigreator.  Can't imagine cooking without chilli, it would be worse than not having garlic.

Have you tried chilli chocolate?  There is a chocolate house not too far from here that makes an 80% dark chocolate with a chilli centre that is simply fabulous.  Not for the faint hearted, though!

[Darlica]

Hi, I'm Bluenose and I'm a chilli head.  It all started with me mum's chilli con carne (probably not as good a Chatty's one, but you have to start somewhere).  Then I joined the Royal Australian Navy and travelled through a fair bit of south east Asia.  The more different kinds of chilli sauces and dished with chilli in them them more I liked them.  Fresh chillied mudcrab is one of life's truly great experiences.

I have quite a few different chilli sauces and other chilli like spices in my pantry/refrigreator.  Can't imagine cooking without chilli, it would be worse than not having garlic.

Have you tried chilli chocolate?  There is a chocolate house not too far from here that makes an 80% dark chocolate with a chilli centre that is simply fabulous.  Not for the faint hearted, though!

It's jummy!

The SO and I used to make chocolat/ancho chili fugde. I should remember him that we need to take up that habbit...

[anthrobabe]

I'm Anthrobabe and I'm a chili-head.

Chilis are one of the worlds oldest cultivated vegetables. They are packed with vitamins and minerals, they keep well, can be medicinal(unstop a nose, keep scurvy at bay(so good for our pirates!)-good topical pain reliever when made into a paste, can help preserve food or help food that might be beginning to "age" taste acceptable so that it can be consumed before totally going over(used very widely prior to the ice-box for this purpose), used in religion- the aztecs drank a mixture of chocolate and chili and gave it to those who were to become the sacrifice(which was often a volunteer thing),chili is a good- shall we say-aphrodisiac too.

I really got the chili bug as a teenager when I moved to AZ- met the love of my life (Joe) and met his mother who became the worlds greatest mother in law (she retains this honor even now and always will), she was born in Agua Prieta and words can not describe what the woman can do in a kitchen.

A favorite pasttime is to go to the local watering hole (alas not do able while I'm in AR_they don't get it) and drink beer while eating fresh roasted chilis-- get the kitchen to take any chilies- roast them whole until they begin to blacken, rub off black parts with a damp towel, split, remove seeds(unless you can do them), and serve with lime and salt. Many a big manly man has been put down by "that chick can eat them"- me!

Try this on a cool/cold/heck even warm day
in a saucepan place 1 and 1/3 cups milk,
add 1 vanilla bean(split but do not scrape)
1 or 2 red chilies(try different kinds), split and seeds removed(or not)
and simmer for about 2 minutes and remove the vanilla bean and chilies-do not boil it what you want to do is let the oils from the vanilla and chili infuse the milk so let it go longer if it needs to just don't burn it, scrape the vanilla bean and return the scraping to the pot,
add 1 piece cinnamon(about 3 to 4 inches) and simmer for 1 more minute,
take it off the heat and add 3 ounces grated bitter sweet chocolate,
remove the cinnamon, strain it to remove large spice bits and serve very hot with additional cinnamon sticks for stirring or sprinkle some cinnamon on top.
Serves two (or you can keep it all for yourself!)
( I originally got this recipe somewhere online so want to give credit-)

If you want a "shortcut to the above- take a prepackaged hot chocolate like Abuelitas and add a dash of chili powder(hopefully you not only buy it but have tried making your own).

At Coldstone Creamery now they will mix in jalapenos for you if you want them- course they are the jalapenos for nachos but still interesting in and of themselves.

[Sibling Chatty]

I'm not able to handle some chilis anymore (carcinoid sucks) but I am still pretty good with cayenne and some others.

Jalapenos are limited, but the standard 'chili petins' that I grew up with are still OK. Anchos, especially roasted, are teh good...

I'm still able to eat my Cajun food and some of my Mexican food, so I am a happy former chilihead.

[Pachyderm]

Hi, my name is Pachyderm, and I'm a chili-head.

We grew some Scotch Bonnet in the garden in Rwanda, and they were fabulous. Brought some back for the friend I will be living with for the next year, as he is a chili-head as well. And the man has skills in the kitchen, so I am looking forward to sharing.

Developed a taste for cheese on toast, with piri-piri. Lovely little snack.

[anthrobabe]

not for cooking- but still shows how wonderful chili (capsacin) is!!!!! pain relief.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21532304/

[Aggie]

No potential for abuse.... hah! 


*capsaicin addict*

[Sibling Chatty]

The internal use on surgery patients sounds interesting. If I do have to have more surgery, I'm willing to try it. I HATE feeling drugged.

I've used the cream form for arthritis in my hands for over 15 years. It deos work, but you MUST be careful. No eye rubbing!

[anthrobabe]

Right now you have to be numbed to get the med dripped in - imagine 10X habanero 'juice' in a cut---- that would make you die alone--- but they are working in way to do it with just a slight tingle.

Nature is a wonderful thing-- here's this potential safe and effective pain reliever right in the garden almost.

I've read a bit about how vampire bat saliva is such an amazing anti-coagulent that it is being studied for use in heart/cardiac patients----

and of course leeches have been used for centuries and there is still nothing better to help blood flow in micro-vascular surgery reattachment-- putting leeches on reattached fingers etc really seems to speed and help healing and limb survival.

Aggie- I can see it now--- black market for the new pain med- but not what you think-- it'll be really true that a drop will do ya!  stung out chili heads knocking on doors at 3am- hey man you got some heat, just a drop man, can I pay you monday, come one man just a hit here in my 'food item of choice'......

[Aggie]

Hillary's a chili head:

For her part, Clinton is a veteran of her husband's back-to-back White House races and is keenly aware of the toll it takes on body and spirit. She, too, takes short naps on her plane and eats a steady diet of hot peppers, which she believes has helped her stave off illness. But she says she's getting very little exercise.