-=> Ruth Haffly wrote to Shawn Highfield <=-

 RH> Some can take it, others can't. I was reading an article in today's
 RH> paper about a pepper grower who has developed a Pepper X with a
 RH> Scoville Unit # of 2,700,000. He said it took him 6 hours to recover
 RH> from eating one. Now that is one hot pepper!

 SH> I saw that interview with him.  He's a machine for sure, now he can
 SH> eat them on command and doesn't break a sweat. hahahaha

 RH> He must have a cast iron stomach. One of Steve's brothers used to like
 RH> things extra hot. He told us some years ago that he put in a take out
 RH> order in some place for super, extra, extra hot wings. When he came to
 RH> pick it up, the whole kitchen crew came out to see who it was that
 RH> wanted the wings so hot. Some time later he developed ulcers and now
 RH> can't have the hot and spicy foods he used to enjoy.

If it's bacterial ulcers he can. The heat in the chilies (capsaicin) is
known to kill the bacteria (baccatum pyloreum). (cribbed the following
from Healthline: "capsaicin, the chemical that gives chilies and peppers 
their kick, has been shown to inhibit the bacteria H. pylori, the most 
common cause of ulcers. Capsaicin has an interesting relationship to 
pain: The initial irritation of capsaicin is followed by a numbing 
effect. That's why it's used in topical treatments in cream or as a 
dermal patch for joint and other pain."

However, if it's a stress caused or aspirin/Alleve, etc. caused ulcer -
leave the chilies alone.  Bv)=

 RH> and HI. Getting older, moving (further) away from pepper growing
 RH> territory, changing my eating habits, etc have toned down my heat
 RH> level.

 SH> Just living with Andrea and Bob has brought my heat level way down.

 RH> I prefer to be able to taste other flavors in my food, and if it's hot,
 RH> it should be an all over the mouth heat. That's what we try to get with
 RH> our chili but so many other chilis we've had seem to concentrate their
 RH> heat in just one part of the mouth. That, to us, is not a good chili.

If things are too hot, after the second bite my taste buds are numb and
all I can taste is the heat. At chilli cook-offs heat is referredf to as
"up front/early" or "late heat". I prefer a mix of some early heat followed
by the warm, back-of-the-throat glow that is late heat. And not so ot that
I can't taste the subtle flavours in the dish.

Here's a faily mild, tasty chile recipe. I have also made these with red
(ripe) chilies which have a slightly different flavour profile, And a
different "stuffing" from the stuffed Mexi-Bells recipe I sent Saturday.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: Green Chilies Rellenos (Stuffed Green Chilies)
 Categories: Latino, Vegetables, Chilies, Cheese
      Yield: 5 Servings
 
     10 lg Green chilies; NuMex, Big
           - Jim or Anaheim, roasted,
           - peeled, stems on
     10 oz Longhorn (yellow) or Jack
           - (white) cheese
      1 lg Onion; peeled, in thin
           - slivers, opt

MMMMM---------------------------BATTER--------------------------------
      1 c  A-P flour
      1 ts Baking powder
    1/2 ts Salt
    3/4 c  Cornmeal
      1 c  Milk
      2 lg Eggs; slightly beaten
 
  To make batter, combine flour, baking powder, salt and
  cornmeal. Blend milk with egg;then combine milk and egg
  mixture with dry ingredients. Add more milk if necessary
  for a smooth batter.
  
  Cut cheese into slices or batons 1/4" thick and the length
  of the chile pods. Make a small slit in roasted chile just
  big enough to insert cheese (you can also poke in some of
  the slivers of onion at this point).
  
  Heat a deep fryer or skillet w/an inch or so of oil to a
  temperature of 375§F/190§C.
  
  Using a spoon, dip stuffed chilies in batter then fry in the
  hot oil or lard until golden brown. Drain and serve. May be
  garnished with green chile sauce if desired.
  
  Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen
 
MMMMM

... "Want some cheese with that whine? -- Dr. Phil McGraw
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