How Hot It Is!

It doesn’t matter who you are, or what you’ve done, or think you can do. There’s a confrontation with destiny awaiting you. Somewhere, there is a chile you cannot eat.”  – Daniel Pinkwater.

A sure fire test as to whether a pepper is mild, medium, hot, or extra hot is to simply taste it. But nibbling your way though a market’s produce aisle may raise eyebrows along with etiquette and health issues. Instead, most of us rely on the Scoville number, determined by an experiment named after its inventor, Wilbur L. Scoville. In 1912, Scoville proposed to test the heat level of chile pepper by means of a dilution-taste procedure, using humans as guinea pigs. The alchemy was simple. Scoville blended pure ground chiles with a sugar-water solution to increasingly diluted concentrations. When the concoction no longer causes the tasters to wince, a number was assigned to each chile based on how much water was added before the pepper produced a “no heat” sensation.

Scoville’s chile pepper pungency is given in multiples of 100 units and ranges from the pimento and bell peppers at zero Scoville Units to the bomb-busters Red Savina Habanero at more than 577,000.

One drop of capsaicin, the chemical responsible for pepper’s bite sensation per 1,000,000 drops of water, yields about 1.5 pressure Scoville Units. Today, a more sophisticated method – high-pressure liquid chromatography – is used to measure capsaicin levels in parts per million, which is then converted to Scoville Units.

The level of capsaicin, generally concentrated in the pod’s placenta, varies from plant to plant and from one variety of chiles to another. Even field-adjacent plants may vary dramatically in capsaicin concentration.

Capsaicin Clarified
Capsaicin is the genus name for chiles. Five common species are listed below.

• Capsicums annum’s: Although “annuum” means “annual,” these species are actually perennials when grown in suitable conditions. Annuums are the most widely cultivated, both in the home garden and commercially. Common varieties include the bells, poblano, and cayenne, cherry, chile de arbol, jalapeño, ornamentals, New Mexican, paprika, piquins, tepins, wax, and serrano.
•  Capsicum baccaatum: Meaning “berry-like,” this species consist of the South American hot chiles known as “aji.” These chiles have a distinctive fruity flavor and mature to colorful, wrinkled pods of bright red, orange, and yellow.
• Capsicum Chinese: “Chinese” means “from China” but this species actually originated in the Amazon Basin. Widely declared as the hottest chile on earth, the Red Savina, Habanero, and Scotch Bonnet are members of this species. The pod type, as well as the plants, is quite varied.
• Capsicum frutescen: Meaning, “shrubby” or “bushy.” Although few varieties are widely cultivated in this species, the Tabasco is the most familiar.
• Capsicum pubescen: Meaning “hairy.” Its black seed identify this species. Common varieties include the rocoto and manzano.

Now that you’re capsicum savvy, you’re ready to handle and savor the following hot and spicy recipes.

Green Capsicum Yogurt Soup ( Serves 6 )

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium white onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 ½ lb. tomatoes, chopped
• 4 ounces canned diced green chiles, hot to extra hot (or to “bite” taste) or substitute 4 to 6 roasted, stemmed, peeled and seeded green chiles
• ¼ teaspoon chili powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
• 4 ounces Jack or cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

Melt butter in large kettle and add oil. Add garlic and sauté until lightly browned. Remove garlic and set aside. Add onion to butter and sauté until tender. Add paprika and sauté 1 minute. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, chiles, and chili powder. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes. Stir in yogurt slowly and cook over low heat just until heated through. Do not boil or yogurt will curdle. Add reserved garlic. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with cheese and cilantro. Can be served hot, at room temperature or cold.

Salsa Gazpacho ( Serves 8 )
Gazpacho soup, served cold, originated in Spain. The Spanish call gazpacho “salad.” This soup is ideal for a hot spring day.

• 3 large tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
• ½ medium sweet onion, minced
• 3 cups vegetable cocktail juice
• 1 (14 ½ ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 cup prepared salsa
• 5 tablespoons wine vinegar
• ¼ to ½ cup extra light olive oil
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Garnish suggestions: Sour cream, avocado chunks, tortilla chips

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, vegetable cocktail juice, beef or chicken broth, tomato salsa, wine vinegar, and olive oil. Add Worcestershire sauce, dill weed, basil, salt, hot pepper sauce, and garlic; stir until blended.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving. Serve in chilled soup bowls. (Recipe adapted from Linda Stradley, author of “What’s Cooking America.”)

Sunny Conley is an award-winning author, writer, editor and desktop publisher, specializing in Southwest cuisine, culture and business. Since 1994, Sunny’s columns and features have appeared in national and regional magazines and newspapers, and on the Internet. For more information, visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnyconley or write sunnyc@evliving.com.

Technorati Tags: chile, Food, Recipes