Habaneros Recipes

The Habanero is one of the hottest chiles on earth, both in terms of capsaicin heat and popularity. The chile's wonderful fruity flavor and aroma has led to an explosion of recipes and processed hot sauces and salsas in the past few years. Some have called it a designer chile. Several new cultivars have been developed recently including the hottest of the hot, Red Savina. Other cultivars and first cousins to the Habanero include chocolate habanero, yellow habanero, habanero rojo, Rica Red, Congo, and Scotch Bonnet. They are most commonly grown in the Yucatan, Costa Rica, Belize, California, Texas, and the Caribbean. The common habanero is about 1 ½" to 2 ½ " long and about 1 - 2" wide, oval and pointed on the end, and is green maturing to orange. Other varieties mature to yellow, brown, and red.

The name Habanero means "from Havana". The most common uses of the habanero is in sauces, salsas, seasoning rubs and jerk marinades. They may be purchased fresh, dried, powdered, and pickled.

Bajan Chicken
The Whole Chile Pepper Book.

• 3 fresh Habanero chiles, stems & seeds removed, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Caribbean-style Habanero sauce (I like Trinidad or Inner Beauty)
• 4 chicken breasts, skin removed
• 6 green onions, finely chopped, including tops
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (I substituted cilantro)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves (Because of a personal anti-clove bias, I substituted cinnamon; thanks to my dentist father, cloves remind me of stinky tooth decay ...)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Flour for dredging
• 3 cups dry breadcrumbs
• Vegetable oil for frying

Combine the chiles, green onions, garlic, lime juice, parsley or cilantro, cloves (or cinnamon) and ground pepper. Cut deep gashes in the chicken and fill with the mixture. Secure open end with a toothpick to keep the stuffing from falling out.

Beat the egg and combine with the soy sauce and pepper sauce. Lightly dust the chicken with flour, dip in the egg mixture and roll in the bread crumbs.

Heat the oil to 375 degrees and fry the chicken until golden brown, 3-4 minutes on each side.

Apricot-Habanero Barbecue Sauce
borssen.com
You want to do this sauce over and over again.

A fruity sweetness, a rich vegetable aroma, and a dash of habanero makes this sauce just perfect for salmon, halibut, and catfish. Try this with poultry and pork too.

• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• corn or canola oil
• 1 yellow bell pepper, roasted, peeled, and seeded
• 2/3 cup (150 g) dried apricots
• 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinager
• 3 tablespoons (1/2 dl) brown sugar
• 1 1/4 cups (3 dl) water
• 1 tablespoon Colmans powdered mustard
• 4 tablespoon habanero hot sauce
• salt

In a pan, sauté the onion and garlic in a little oil until soft. Add the remaining ingredients, except the mustard powder and habanero. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the apricots are soft. Pour into a food processor. Season with mustard powder, habanero, and salt while processing to a smooth sauce. (Serves 4)

Scotch Bonnet Tangerine Chicken
www.chiletoday.com
Turn up the heat in this Chinese dish by adding more scotch Bonnet.

• 1 egg white
• 3 Tbsp. dry sherry
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 lb. boneless skinned chicken, diced
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
• 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp. tangerine zest
• 1 to 2 scotch bonnet peppers, flaked
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. chicken stock
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
• 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/3 cup oil

In a small bowl whisk egg white and 1 tablespoon each of the sherry and cornstarch. Pour over chicken and refrigerate at least 8 hours. In a bowl combine green onion, ginger, garlic, tangerine zest, and hot-pepper flakes and set aside. In another bowl combine the 1/2 cup stock, soy sauce, remaining sherry, vinegar, and sugar. Stir to dissolve and set aside.

Preheat wok over high heat. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Swirl 3 tablespoons of the oil around wok, add chicken, and stir-fry until partially cooked (1-2 minutes). Remove and set aside. Make a paste of the remaining corn starch and chicken stock and set aside.

Heat remaining oil in wok. Add onion-ginger-garlic mixture and stir-fry over medium-high heat until fragrant. Add chicken-stock mixture and simmer, stirring frequently, until heated through (about 2 minutes). Add chicken and cook until firm (about 4 minutes). Reduce heat to low. Mix in cornstarch mixture and stir until sauce is glossy. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.

Essential Habanero Hot Sauce
The Pepper Pantry: Habaneros, by Dave DeWitt and Nancy Gerlach

• 1 ½ cups chopped carrots
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 ½ cup lime juice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup chopped habanero chiles, about 12 chiles

1. Combine all the ingredients, except for the habaneros, in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes or until the carrots are soft. (Adjust the heat by adding fewer habaneros - not by increasing the carrots, as this can alter the flavor.)

2. Place all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Strain for a smoother sauce.

3. Pour in sterilized jars and refrigerate.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken
baileyfarmsinc.com

• 1 Tbsp allspice, ground
• 1 Tbsp thyme, dried
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed
• 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, peeled & chopped
• 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinniman, ground
• 6-7 whole Fresh Habanero chiles
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2-4 Tbsp lime juice
• 6 lb chicken parts

Combine all ingredients except chicken in food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Place chicken pieces in large glass pan. Rub with marinade. Lift skin & rub marinade underneath. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2hrs or longer.Place chicken pieces on grill skin side down. Baste frequently & turn every 10 min. or so, cooking until chicken is well done. Add some hardwood chips for a smokier flavor!

Spicy Island Hot Sauce
baileyfarmsinc.com

• 1 ripe papaya, peeled, seeded & coarsely chopped
• 1 med yellow onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 med cloves garlic, minced
• 4 Habanero peppers, stemmed & seeded
• 1in piece fresh ginger, peeled & coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup dark rum
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 tsp honey
• 1/8 tsp cardamom
• 1/8 tsp anise
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of cinnamon
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in blender and puree just until smooth (do not overblend and aerate). Pour into saucepan & bring to boidl, then simmer gently, uncovered for about 10 min. Remove from heat & allow to cool before bottling. Refrigerate, Sauce will keep approx. 6 weeks. Makes 2 cups.

Hot and Spicy Pineapple Fritters
http://southernfood.about.com/

• 2 cups fresh pineapple, cut in chunks
• 1 habanero chile pepper, seeded and minced
• 5 chives, finely minced
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, mashed & minced
• 8 green onions, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup milk, or more
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil, for frying
• 2 eggs, beaten
• salt and pepper
• pineapple rings, for garnish

Mix first seven ingredients; set aside.

Combine flour, milk, eggs, and salt and pepper together and beat well with an electric mixer. Cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours. After 4 hours, combine fruit with batter.

Heat the vegetable oil in a deep skillet. Drop batter in by spoonfuls and fry for about 5 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Remove fritters and drain on paper towels. Serve cold, garnished with pineapple rings. Serves 6.