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Chef2Chef Recipe Club - Volume 2 Issue 91 - May 6, 2002 Automatic system commands and instructions: End of Message Chef2Chef Recipe Club Member Forum: http://forums.chef2chef.net -------------------------------------------------- Good Morning Recipe Club! Did you have a great weekend? We spent the weekend with Webmaster Fred and Link Mistress Margi and ate like Kings. My partners are Swiss and they prepared a Meat Fondue to die for! I'm trying to talk them into doing a week in the Recipe Club of Fondues and traditional Swiss dishes. What do you think? Almost everyone has a fondue pot in the closet. I say we break them out and use them! Give me your feedback -------------------------------------------------- This week I'm going to talk about Hot and Spicy foods and dish up some recipes to go along with the topic. I've had a couple folks say they wanted to send me some of their favorite spicy recipes. Send them in, I'll post them. Something tells me that this week could last for 10 days! Yikes! Hot and Spicy foods can be found everywhere today. And I'm not talking Chicken Wings (but I will), I mean Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, Mexican, African, Indian Curries, Southwestern and more applications in more cuisine's than I can mention. Once hooked, the quest to find new ingredients and recipes can be addictive! Addictive? Oh yeah. The thought here is that once you have set your mouth on fire, the brain releases endorphins into your blood stream which give you an almost drugged like feeling. The products available in specialty shops and online are overwhelming in their scope. Literally thousand of products just in the sauce and salsa category alone are available and they are very inexpensive, so sampling them to find just the right flavor and heat is an affordable treat. I personal have about 10 favorites that are on hand all the time and have a special spot on top of my spice cabinet for display! We have one advertiser at Chef2Chef.net that is giving away a free "Blasting Kit Gift Crate" this month worth about $40. His site is called FireDragon.com. Go to our home page and click on his button and register to win. There is no obligation, but take a moment to check out his product line. It's amazing! Click here to find his button Http://chef2chef.net or go to the Market Place and look in the sauce category for http://www.salsakiss.com if salsas are your thing. -------------------------------------------------- Today lets talk about heat from peppers. Fresh, frozen or dried they are the most popular ingredient used in spicy dishes. For over 6000 years peppers (Capsicum genus) have been used as a cooking ingredient and there are over 400 different varieties being grown around the world today. Early this century a pharmacologist named Wilber Scoville came up with a method to measure the capsaicin in a pepper. That's stuff in peppers that run through the veins and seeds that dictate how darn hot that pepper will be. You can rarely tell how hot a pepper is by looking at it. Don't you just love those cute little orange ones called Habaneros, don't be fooled, they'll set you mouth on fire. So this Scoville guy set up a scale by which all peppers are graded as to their heat level. It starts at zero and continues to climb as new scorching hot peppers are produced. A mild bell pepper might have a Scoville Unit rating of around 1000 (parts per million of capsaicin), while a jalapeno will come in around 4000 units. Wow, you think those jalapenos are hot? A habanero can contain up to and over 300,000 Scoville Units. Downright dangerous! Chiles are rich in Vitamin A and C. A two-ounce Chile has more than twice your daily requirement of Vitamin A. When you are buying peppers look for a firm, solid flesh that is unblemished and has an even coloring. They have a good shelf life and should be kept in a cooler in a plastic bag until ready to use. If you are handling really hot peppers use a pair of those surgical gloves that are available in the Pharmacy area of your supermarket. Do not touch your eyes or certain sensitive spots on your body after handling hot peppers. It's a lesson you can learn from someone with a bad experience or two.ME! Dried whole chiles should be clean, shiny, and not broken. Store like you do all your spices, in a cool dark area in a sealed container or bag. To reconstitute them cover them with hot water in a bowl until they are soft and you can work with them. The majority of the heat in a pepper is in the veins and seeds. To tone down a dish and get the flavor of the pepper without as much heat, remove the veins and seeds before you incorporate them into your dish. One more tip before we go on. If you are eating hot foods heated by peppers, and you face bursts into flames and you need to put out the fire, water is not the answer. It only makes it worse, drink milk or a piece of bread or toast with butter. Or run to your freezer and gobble up some ice cream. Now that's a good excuse to eat ice cream! -------------------------------------------------- ONLY 6 MORE DAYS UNTIL MOTHER'S DAY! KentuckyVirtual.com http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=83 Handcrafted gifts, gift baskets, & delicious gourmet foods like Derby Pie, chocolates, cream candy, ham, preserves, flavored honey & more! Hand woven placemats, napkins & rugs! Books, Pottery, Home Accents, too. -------------------------------------------------- African, Chinese and Thai cuisine uses some interesting combinations using peanut butter and peppers to produce some very interesting dishes, dips and soups. Here are a couple. -------------------------------------------------- Peanut Marinade (For Satay) Ingredients 1/2 c chunky peanut butter 1/2 c peanut oil 1/4 c white wine vinegar 1/4 c tamari (or substitute low-sodium soy sauce 1/4 c fresh lemon juice (approx. 1 large lemon) 4 cloves garlic; minced 8 cilantro sprigs; minced 1 whole dried red chile pepper; minced 2 tsp. chopped fresh ginger Instructions Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend well to emulsify, adding a few drips of water if the mixture is too thick. Marinate beef or chicken (or pork) overnight. Notes: The traditional thick dipping sauce for satay, the Indonesian skewered beef (or chicken or pork) dish, is the inspiration for this marinade. To create satay skewers, thread thin, 1-inch-wide slices of marinated beef or chicken (or pork) onto wood skewers and grill them 2 minutes per side over red-hot coals. Serve the marinade as a dipping sauce, if desired. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Contributor: Carol Miller-Tutzauer (riacmt@ubvms) -------------------------------------------------- Nigerian Peanut Soup Ingredients (2 servings) 2 Packets instant chicken broth and seasoning mix 2 c Water 1 1/2 sm Dried green chili peppers, finely chopped 1/4 c Each diced green bell pepper and onion 3 tb Chunky-style peanut butter Instructions In 1-quart saucepan dissolve broth mix in water; add chili peppers and bring mixture to a boil. Stir in bell pepper and onion and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to lowest possible temperature; add peanut butter and cook, stirring constantly, until peanut butter is melted and mixture is well blended. Makes 2 servings. -------------------------------------------------- MOTHERS love Bennington Pottery! http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=75 Ask any serious baker the secret to a really good loaf of bread - one with thick, golden crust and delicious, chewy interior - and you're likely to hear that a clay or brick oven is key. And though most of us don't have the luxury of being able to bake in such an oven, Bennington's heavy clay loaf pan is an excellent stand-in. With its thick walls and substantial heft, it holds and concentrates an oven's heat, helping you bake beautiful, delicious loaves every time. Great for quick breads too. Come see what Bennington Pottery bakeware, dinnerware and serving pieces have to offer. Made in Vermont for over 50 years. -------------------------------------------------- Roasting peppers is a very common practice for adding additional flavor to a dish. I grow Anaheim peppers every year and grill them with my steaks. I also make a wonderful grilled salsa that is easy and great on steaks and grilled meaty fish filets. Roast your peppers on a grill, over a gas flame or in an oven until the skin is black and blistered. Immediately place them into a plastic bag and let them steam. This facilitates the easy removal of the skins. Remove the skins and you are ready to make all kinds of wonderful dishes. If I'm in a hurry but still want to make a fun fish sauce, I'll take a package of Knorr Newburg Sauce and prepare it according to the instructions on the package. Meanwhile I'll roast a red bell pepper and one jalapeno. Remove the veins and seeds once they are peeled. Then I put the sauce and the peeled peppers into a blender and presto, instant Red Bell Pepper Sauce. It really is great, use less jalapeno if you are not into too spicy! -------------------------------------------------- GRILLED PICO DE GALLO Serves 4 Preparation Total: 20 Traditional Mexican salsa with a twist. Grill your veggies before making them into a salsa to go with grilled meat or fish. 2 tomatoes, peeled, sliced 3/4" thick 1 red onion, sliced 1/2" thick 1 yellow bell pepper, cut in half, seeded 1/2 jalapeno, seeded, ribs removed 1 tablespoon lime juice 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped 1 pinch salt 1/8 teaspoon cracked peppercorns Grill the tomatoes, onion, and peppers until the tomatoes are marked and warm through, the onion is slightly browned and soft, and the pepper's skin has blistered and browned. Remove them from the heat and cool until they can be easily handled. Gently remove the skin from peppers. Chop all veggies into small pieces (about 1/3" dice) and put them in a small bowl. Add the cilantro, lime juice and seasoning. If you want more spice to the salsa add a little more spice mix. Best if eaten right away. Make as close to serving time as possible. -------------------------------------------------- MOTHER'S DAY We have a new sponsor at Chef2Chef.Net called Kitchens-Today.com and I thought you should know about them. They have over 30,000 kitchen-related items available by Brand, Category, Price Range and even a clearance room. You can also use their fantastic Wedding Registry or register to WIN a free Honeymoon! For all your kitchen needs visit: http://html.chef2chef.net/goto.php?id=17 -------------------------------------------------- Now here is a soup that I adapted from a recipe years ago and I can't remember the author. I apologize for that. This is a basic chicken noodle soup with a Thai twist. It is not too hot by itself, but it is served with a sauce on the side that you add yourself until you get it just right. It's heat comes from dried cayenne pepper, plenty of it! I add it liberally and will sweat with this one. It is a favorite around here and is easy to make. Let me know what you think! THAI STYLE CHICKEN, CELLOPHANE NOODLE AND STRAW MUSHROOM SOUP Serves 6 Preparation Total: 45 This wonderfully pungent soup can be made with almost any cooked bird meat. I have even made it with cured and smoked duck meat. I think it is one of my favorite variations. 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken meat 1/2 teaspoon garlic, chopped 1/8 cup lime juice, fresh squeezed is best 1-tablespoon fish sauce 2 teaspoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 3 1/2 cups chicken stock, strained for clarity 1 14 oz. can straw mushrooms 1 1/2 ounces cellophane noodles 8 each baby carrots, sliced thinly 1 stalk celery, thinly sliced on a bias 2 teaspoons red bell peppers, small dice 2 teaspoons red onions, diced 1 each scallions, thinly sliced PUNGENT THAI SAUCE FOR SOUPS ( Recipe Below) If you have time, prepare the stock a day ahead, so that it can be chilled overnight. Remove any hardened fat that will have settled to the top of the stock. Reheat the stock and strain it for clarity. Or use canned broth. Place the cooked chicken meat in a bowl. Combine the garlic, lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar and stir briskly to dissolve the sugar. Pour it over the cooked meat and stir to coat. Allow to marinate for an hour at least. Open the can of mushrooms and add the broth to the stock, bring both to a boil. Once boiling, add the cellaphane noodle and fresh vegetable and boil for about 8 minutes or until the noodles succumb to the tooth. Add the mushrooms. Lift the meat out of the bowl with a slotted spoon and add it to the stock. Bring the soup back to a boil and remove from the heat. Stir and taste. You can adjust the intensity of the soup by adding some or all of the marinade. Personally, I add it all! Serve this soup in clear bowls if you have them with the PUNGENT THAI SAUCE listed below on the side. Caution, add a little at a time until you have the right heat for you. . PUNGENT THAI SAUCE FOR SOUPS Serves 4 Preparation Total: 15 1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped 1/2 cup Rose's Lime Juice 3 teaspoons cayenne pepper 3 tablespoons fish sauce 2 tablespoons soy sauce 6 teaspoons sugar Combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to incorporate. -------------------------------------------------- QUESTIONS, Comments, Technical Support: http://forums.chef2chef.net -------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE or Unsubscribe Requests: http://chef2chef.net/forms/form-entry.htm or reply to this E-Mail by typing into the SUBJECT line: remove club or subscribe club -------------------------------------------------- ARCHIVE: All Club e-mails are archived each Friday at: http://chef2chef.net/news/club/ -------------------------------------------------- LIST PURGE: We attempt to send email for 24 hours. If not successful, your address is removed. Re-subscribe if in doubt. -------------------------------------------------- |