Hot Pepper Chicken
12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt and freshly ground pepper
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1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Place chicken between 2 pieces of wax paper. Flatten with a meat bat or the bottom of a heavy skillet to about ¼-inch thick. Mix flour, red pepper and salt and pepper to taste.
Heat oil in a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Coat chicken well with spice mixture and saute about 3 minutes per side, until no longer pink inside (170 degrees on a meat thermometer).
Meanwhile, mix honey with mustard. Plate chicken and spread with sauce.
Yield: Serves 2.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 350 calories, 24 percent of calories from fat, 9.4 grams fat (1.5 grams saturated), 96 milligrams cholesterol, 40.7 grams protein, 24.8 grams carbohydrates, 0.9 grams fiber, 277 milligrams sodium.
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Yemeni-Style Chicken Salad
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
½ cup each: mayonnaise, fat-free yogurt
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 red Serrano chilies, seeded, stemmed, minced
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted, see note
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 rib celery, chopped
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1 carrot, grated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ cup each, minced: cilantro, flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Place the chicken breasts in a large skillet with water just to cover. Heat to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat to simmer. Cook until chicken is opaque, firm to the touch and no longer pink inside, 8 to 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix together mayonnaise and yogurt in a medium bowl. Add garlic, chilies, pine nuts, green onions, celery, carrot, cumin, cilantro and parsley; toss to combine. Set aside.
Remove chicken from skillet; set aside until cool enough to handle, about 2 minutes. Chop chicken coarsely; stir into mayonnaise mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
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Note: Toast pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until aromatic, about 5 minutes.
Yield: Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 530 calories, 55 percent of calories from fat, 32 grams fat (5 grams saturated), 136 milligrams cholesterol, 9 grams carbohydrates, 50 grams protein, 893 milligrams sodium, 2 grams fiber.
Pepper Mike's Chili
½ medium white onion
½ medium red onion
½ red bell pepper
2 jalapeno peppers
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2 hot Portugal peppers
2 habeneros (optional)
1 stalk celery (optional)
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
About 7 tablespoons chili seasoning (recipe follows)
1 pound sausage
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
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1½ cups spicy tomato juice
2/3cup tomato juice
1 cup beef broth
1 16-ounce can dark red kidney beans
1 16-ounce can light red kidney beans
1 16-ounce can black beans
Chop the onions, peppers and celery, keeping them separate. In a skillet, brown the ground beef with the onions (and celery, if used), drain and put into a large pot. Brown pork with 1 tablespoon chili seasoning. Add the sausage to the pot and brown; add crushed tomato, bell pepper, tomato juices, beef broth, jalapeno and Portugal peppers and 4 to 6 tablespoons chili seasoning. While this is heating, drain three cans of beans. Add beans to the chili just after it starts to simmer. While bringing the temperature back up, stir the chili carefully so as not to break down the beans. After about 20 minutes, taste and add chopped habenero to taste. Add more beef broth or tomato juice if mixture is too thick.
To make the chili seasoning, combine: 1½ teaspoons ground black pepper, 1½ teaspoons seasoned salt, 3 tablespoons paprika, 5 tablespoons chili powder, 1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper, 1½ tablespoons cumin, 1½ teaspoons crushed red pepper and 1½ teaspoons garlic powder. Store any leftover mixture in an airtight container.
Pepper Relish
2 cups chopped chili peppers (Scotch bonnets, habaneros or other peppers)
2/3 cup white vinegar
½ teaspoon canning salt
Wash, stem and split chile peppers. Using a food processor, chop peppers until they are the consistency of pickle relish.
Combine peppers, vinegar and canning salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. There be enough vinegar to just cover the chopped peppers.
Ladle relish into jars and close with lids.
Hot Pepper Sauce
1 cup pepper relish (see accompanying recipe)
Vinegar, as needed
Garlic powder (optional)
Pour relish and about ¼ cup vinegar into a blender. Blend until smooth, adding more vinegar until you get the consistency you want. Add garlic powder, if desired. Pour mixture into shaker bottles (old soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce bottles that have been cleaned are good) and refrigerate.
Grilled Marinated Pork Chops With Habanero
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup Dijon mustard
1/8 cup soy sauce
6 center-cut pork loin chops
8 ounces butter
1 finely chopped carrot
1 stalk celery, chopped fine
½ medium onion, chopped fine
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 bay leaf
3 black peppercorns
¾ cup port wine
1 pound fresh cherries, stems and pits removed
1 habanero pepper, stems and seeds removed, minced
3 cups rich pork or chicken stock
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine the brown sugar, mustard and soy sauce and mix well. Spread the mixture evenly over the chops and marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours.
Melt 1 ounce of butter in a non-reactive pan and saute the carrot, celery, onion, ginger, thyme, shallots, garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns until the onion turns golden brown. Add the port wine, heat and reduce until thick.
Add the cherries and the Habanero and cook until all the juices are extracted from the cherries. Add the stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a very fine sieve, pressing with a kitchen spoon to extract all the juices.
Return the strained liquid to a pan over low heat and whip in the remaining butter, 1 ounce at a time. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and add it to the sauce. Heat and stir until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Keep the sauce warm.
Grill the pork chops to desired doneness and serve with the sauce ladled over them.
Smoked Habanero Lemon Barley Mushroom Chicken Soup
10 cups chicken broth
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
½ pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced
½ pound button mushrooms
¾ cup pearl barley
2 cups cooked chicken
¼ cup fresh dill
3 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ smoked habanero, finely sliced
In large saucepan melt fat over medium-high heat. Saute onion until golden, then bring broth to a boil. Add smoked habanero, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and barley. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 40 minutes. Add chicken, dill, and lemon. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
Yield: Serves 4.
Chickpea Salad with Roasted Ancho Peppers
Soak chickpeas overnight if possible. If you dont have time to soak use canned chickpeas.
2 large ancho peppers, roasted and skinned
3 cups of cooked chickpeas or 2 cans
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of cilantro, chopped
1 small tomatillo, diced
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
Cut the peppers into half-inch wide strips and put them in a large bowl together with the chickpeas, herbs and the diced tomatillo. In another bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, salt, garlic and oil. Pour over the chickpea mixture and combine. Serve immediately, or refrigerate it and serve in no longer than 24 hours.
Yield: Serves 3 to 4.
Smoked Habanero Lemon Barley Mushroom Chicken Soup
10 cups chicken broth
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
½ pound shitake mushrooms, sliced
½ pound button mushrooms
¾ cup pearl barley
2 cups cooked chicken
¼ cup fresh dill
3 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ smoked habanero, finely sliced
In large saucepan melt fat over medium-high heat. Saute onion until golden, then bring broth to a boil. Add smoked habanero, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and barley. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 40 minutes. Add chicken, dill, and lemon. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
Yield: Serves 4.
Black-Eyed Peas with Bacon and Chipotle Peppers
1½ pounds fresh black-eyed peas, rinsed, drained
8 to 12 ounces bacon, diced
1½ cups chopped onion
2 to 3 small dried chipotle peppers ground
1 clove garlic, minced
1½ cups water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon fresh thyme
Rinse black-eyed peas and place in a 6-quart slow cooker.
Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; add onions, peppers and stir frequently, for about 20 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add the skillet mix to the slow cooker along with water. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, or until peas are tender. Add remaining ingredients and continue cooking for another hours.
Yield: Serves 4 to 6.
Hot Pepper Jelly
4 pounds sour apples, chopped (including cores)
4 jalapeno peppers, sliced in half lengthwise (for a mild jelly, remove seeds)
1 green bell pepper, chopped (seeds removed)
1 cup cranberries
3 cups white vinegar
3 cups water
3½ cups white granulated sugar
Green food coloring
In heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine apples, peppers, cranberries, water and vinegar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the pieces become soft. Use a potato masher to crush the fruit so that all of the pectin is released. Stir frequently to prevent scorching.
Spoon the mash into a jelly bag and let it drip overnight. Do not force the liquid through the cheesecloth or the jelly will be cloudy. If the mixture is too thick, add about ½ cup water to the saucepan and stir. Pour the mash into the jelly bag.
In the morning, measure the juice. For every cup of juice, add approximately ¾ cup of sugar. Heat the juice and sugar mixture slowly, stirring constantly, to dissolve the sugar and to keep the fruits from sticking.
Bring the jelly to a boil, and then lower the heat and cook for an additional ten minutes or until the jelly begins to set when a teaspoonful is placed on a cold plate. Ladle the jelly into sterilized half-pint and pint jars immediately, wipe the jar rims and adjust the sterilized lids and rings. Place the jars into a hot water bath and boil for 10 minutes, making sure the water covers the jars by approximately 1 to 2 inches.
Note: For a hot red pepper jelly, do not remove the seeds and ribs from the hot peppers.
Jamaican Hot Pepper Shrimp
4 large scallions, chopped roughly
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 large habanero pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper, cracked or coarse ground
1 tablespoon allspice berries
1 pound large shrimp,- shell on (20-30 count)
1 ounce dark rum (optional)
1 large mango, peeled and cubed (optional)
1 tablespoon coconut, shredded or flakes (optional)
Bring 4 to 5 cups of water to a boil and add the Broth ingredients. The peppers will give off a strong vapor at first so you'll want to have ventilation available. You can adjust the number and type of peppers to your taste but this should be a spicy dish. Lower the hear and simmer the broth for about 30 minutes.
Return the broth to a boil, add the shrimp and allow it to cook for a couple of minutes until the shrimp just start to turn pink. Then turn off the heat and leave the shrimp in the pot while it cools to room temperature. This should take about 20 to 30 minutes.
When the shrimp are cooled remove them from the broth and allow them to drain briefly.
Splash the rum over the mango and mix in the coconut shreds. Place a small amount of this mixture on the plate and scatter shrimp over it.
