Helene Siegel - Totally Chile Pepper Cookbook

Other cookbooks in this series:

The Totally Garlic Cookbook

The Totally Mushroom Cookbook

The Totally Corn Cookbook

Text copyright 1994 by Helene Siegel and Karen Gillingham. Illustrations copyright 1994 by Ani Rucki. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

The Totally Chile Pepper Cookbook is produced by becker&mayer!, Ltd.

Interior design and typesetting: Dona McAdam, Mac on the Hill

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Siegel, Helene.

The totally chile pepper cookbook / by Helene Siegel & Karen Gillingham.

p. cm.

ISBN 0-89087-724-6

1. Cookery (Hot peppers) 2. Hot peppers I. Gillingham, Karen. II. Title.

TX803.P46554 1994

641.6384dc20 94-1224

CIP

eBook ISBN9781607749059

Celestial Arts

PO Box 7123

Berkeley, CA 94707

v4.1

a

CONTENTS

L ike many Americans who came to chile peppers late in life, we approached them cautiously. Nobody said an ingredient that caught us in the back of the throat and throttled us, brought tears streaming from our eyes, made our hearts palpitate and lips tingle was going to be easy to love.

But then chile peppers snuck up on us and struck some elemental flavor chords. In neighborhood joints we ate fabulous chiles rellenos made of fresh-roasted poblanosrather than wimpy canned Anaheimsthat surprised us with their depth of flavor. Fiery, fruity, smokey salsas gave sparkle to ordinary grilled meats, poultry, and fish. While the spicy foods from Szechuan had reawakened our tired taste buds years ago, when we tasted the sophisticated sweet, sour, spicy, and salty harmony that is Thai food we felt we were on to something more than mere infatuation. Call it chile love.

In the new low-fat, low-salt, little-meat American kitchen, the name of the game is flavor. And as this continents natives have always known, chiles have it. Along with their legendary heat, they add a jolt of clear, bright, stimulating flavor.

Peppers range from brightly spicy little serranos and Thais to mysteriously smokey chipotles and dried fruit-flavored anchos. They can add an element of greater complexity to anything you cook, literally from soup to nuts, and they can be used as subtly or aggressively as any other spice once you understand how to cook with them.

A good place to begin is by experimenting with a few easy-to-find chiles like jalapeos or anchos and taste for yourself what happens when the seeds are left in or omitted from a dish. Next, see what happens when the pepper is roasted and seeded. Now you are beginning to see the chiles depth of character.

All of the quantities, scales of heat (from one to three, indicated by little chile symbols, of course), and seeding instructions supplied in the following recipes are purely subjective. Use as little or as much chile as you wish and add the seeds according to desire. Your taste buds will thank you for it.

C ONTENTS

CHILE OIL

cup peanut oil

cup dark sesame oil

1 tablespoons dried red chile flakes

Several whole dried red chiles

In small saucepan, combine oils and set over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add chile flakes and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let stand overnight. Strain through fine sieve into clean bottle, discarding flakes. Drop a few whole dried chiles into oil for decoration and seal. Store in cool place.

Makes 1 cup.

THAI VINAIGRETTE

4 serranos or green Thais, stemmed

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1 tablespoon Thai fish or soy sauce

3 tablespoons lime juice

cup peanut oil

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pure until smooth.

Makes about cup.

FRESH RED CURRY PASTE

6 red jalapeos, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped

4 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and thinly sliced

cup coarsely chopped shallots

2 tablespoons cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce

1 tablespoon peanut oil

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon freshly grated lime rind

teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoons salt

teaspoon black pepper

In food processor, combine all ingredients. Process until paste forms. Use on fish to be steamed, to infuse oil for stir-frys, or as sauce or salsa for grilled meats and fish.

Makes about cup.