Habaneros!

[unspeakablehorror]

Me in 2019:  I don't really cook with any peppers spicier than jalepenos, and I rarely cook with peppers at all.

Me now: bring on the habaneros!

I've now made habanero pinto bean chili and habanero salsa, and they were both pretty good.  I've tried a lot of different kind of peppers now, and the spice level has been edging up.  Hopefully I don't end up regretting that haha.  I haven't so far, at least. I do make extra sure that I'm wearing gloves when I slice the habaneros, though.  My experiences with jalapenos have taught me to take that very seriously. 

Comments

[rugessnome]

I was reflecting recently that a middle school Spanish assignment to make pico de gallo(!) was the first time I'd used fresh jalapeños or fresh garlic. I occasionally cook with habaneros now but I am very careful about not getting them on my hands. I have had some negative experiences getting jalapeño on uncomfortable places but for the most part those I can tolerate.

one of the things I've made with habaneros (an African style bean, squash, greens and peanut soup), though, never seems to turn out as notably hot...

[unspeakablehorror]

Interesting! I didn't ever do any cooking in my Spanish classes.

I didn't used to use peppers in my cooking at all and only started very recently. I didn't like spicy foods for most of my life. It was only in the last few years that I started eating slightly more spicy food in restaurants. Then when the pandemic started I started buying more peppers so I could make similar kinds of dishes at home.

That soup sounds intriguing. My habanero chili didn't turn out very spicy for the most part (I think most of the spiciness sank to the bottom), but my salsa was moderately spicy. I think things like how much was added, whether or not seeds were removed, and what part of the spiciness range those particular habaneros fall on probably all affects that.

[rugessnome]

Well, it was actually a homework assignment, and I ...felt weird about that at the time, like I wasn't sure everyone would be able to do it? I can't think exactly what I thought the problem would be at the time, but it might have proceeded from my dad not wanting to allow me to cook and the fact that my parents had gone through bankruptcy not too long before that and there were a few years where non-essential purchases were somewhat limited.

I vaguely recall discovering "supreme" tacos as a kindergartner and I think that was also about when I started graduating past mild taco bell sauce. My primary exposure to chiles was in Tex Mex food, but also some in American-Chinese food and certain Italian dishes and eventually Indian. I also had buffalo "wings" for the first time at Wendy's, so while there wasn't a lot of spicy food made at home, I was eating various things for much of my life...

I have a very terse version of the soup recipe in one of my posts tagged cooking: recipes and it should be accessible to you now if you'd like to look.