My wife made a chicken cous cous recipe. I was busy with something, lighting the fire or some such and didn't get to it when she got hers. I saw her sitting eating it and asked how it turned out. She said "it's a little spicy". She's not as "tolerant" of spicy (HOT, not as in "well seasoned spicy") stuff, but she will keep up with me sometimes and eats stuff I cook so I knew something was up.
Yes, it was hot, pleasantly so, not overwhelming. Besides a couple of things I knew she put in there from the smell, I wondered what she had done to get the heat. I make some coarse ground hot pepper flakes from ones I grow and dry, but I didn't see any flakes in the dish. I also so no overt "redness" or chili type coloration. I was dying to know, so asked. She says "well, we were out of cayenne so I saw some "Hawai'ian" stuff you have up there in the cupboard".
We got really lucky!!. Fortunately, the recipe called for only an 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne. She didn't really measure, just guessed about that much of my stuff. Much more and we could have had a disaster. She had found my "Hawai'ian Ghost" ground peppers. My sister got them for me when she was last there. It is HOT stuff. Dangerously hot! An 1/8 teaspoon for a pound or so of chicken and a pot of cous cous with broccoli in it and it's quite delightful, for me and my wife. I know many folks would turn away after a few bites.
Now to understand better, I grow peppers most every year, for eating fresh, drying, and making salsa and "hot sauce" (think Tabasco and such). This year included everything from bell, ancho, and Anaheim on the mild side, to serrano, tabasco, Thai dragon, cayenne, and Habanero on the warmer end, with a few in the middle too. For me to say tonight's dinner was pleasantly hot is probably an understatement for those that think Pace picante sauce, even the jar marked that way, or a jalapeno is "hot".
My wife done good tonight, without even knowing she was doing it!
I hope you all had a nice dinner too!
Geno
The desert is a true treasure for him who seeks refuge from men and the evil of men. In it is contentment In it is death and all you seek (Quoted from "The Bleeding of the Stone" Ibrahim Al-Koni)
