Just returned via Uber from San Francisco where I met two old friends for lunch at Pier 23 Cafe. Totally off my food plan, I had fish tacos and a cup of clam chowder. None of us really ate very healthily. One of my old friends I met up with in December after not seeing her for 37 years. John, who came along today, has moved back to his home state of North Carolina and says he’s happy there. I last saw him in 1989. He retired in 2008 and travels all the time. Lives in a small apartment in Chapel Hill. At one point, as we sat on the closed in deck which was very well heated, he turned to me and asked “Well, are you happy?” The question made me wish we were sitting somewhere else, like on a ferry boat just the two of us or perhaps in my living room, because I really wanted to talk about it, to explore my happiness or lack thereof. It was a very pleasant afternoon. We’re planning on getting together when he returns to the San Francisco Bay Area in the summer.
My fish tacos came with a small bowl of hot peppers, which segues nicely into the topic of my post this evening. West African peppers.
I’ve been doing pro bono work for an African nonprofit whose focus is on empowering West African women to become wage earners and raise children who are also self-sufficient. The past two weeks I’ve been writing about their spice farm in Nigeria. Women grow and harvest about 10 different spices which they then sell to four spice companies. Aidan Fruit. African Nutmeg. Grains of Paradise. Chili Peppers. Egusi Melon seeds. Black Pepper. Scotch Bonnet Peppers. Locust Beans.
Savory spices are used to flavor stews, soups, curries, and rice dishes. Sweet spices are used in cakes, pastries, and puddings.
Turns out these spices are also really medicinal. Most significantly, they are recognized for their anti-inflammatory properties and as being beneficial for heart health, blood sugar levels, and boosting the immune system. They can be used as salves to treat the skin and, in some cases, as an insect repellent.
Spices like locust seeds, which can be used to thicken and add spice to soups and stews, are also used for malaria, diabetes mellitus, and infections. Grains of Paradise are used to treat the GI tract, heal wounds, increase the loss of fat, and increase energy. Used as a supplement they can help with lowering cholesterol and assist with glucose metabolism.
One of the hottest peppers is the Scotch Bonnet Pepper which is ten times hotter than a really hot jalapeno pepper. They are most frequently used in sauces.
My assignment this week is to find one or two recipes for each spice we are writing up.
Here’s a recipe for Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce.
Scotch Bonnet Hot Sauce
An exceptionally hot ‘hot sauce’
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 32
Yield: 2 Pints
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18 fresh Scotch Bonnet peppers, sliced and seeded
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6 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced
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½ cup minced onion
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6 cloves garlic, crushed
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1 teaspoon vegetable oil
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¾ teaspoon salt
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2 cups water
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¼ cup distilled white vinegar
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2 tablespoons white sugar
Directions
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Combine peppers, onion, garlic, oil, and salt in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
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Pour in water; cook and stir until peppers are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.
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Transfer mixture to a blender and purée until smooth. Pour in vinegar and sugar; blend until mixed. Transfer to a container, cover, and store in the refrigerator.
How hot do you like your spices?
Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share a virtual kitchen table with other readers of Daily Kos who aren’t throwing pies at one another. Drop by to talk about music, your weather, your garden, or what you cooked for supper…. Newcomers may notice that many who post in this series already know one another to some degree, but we welcome guests at our kitchen table and hope to make some new friends as well.