Red Chile Pepper Recipes

Thanks to Mrs. Sequilla, a good friend's mom down in Little Havana, South Florida! She shared this recipe that was her grandmother's favorite. Everytime I make it someone asks for the recipe.

At the end of summer during the Great Depression the excess cucumber crop was sliced, salted, pickled, and put up in jars for the cold, lean months ahead. I can just imagine what a treat it was to fill a sandwich with these sweet crunchy coins (bread and butter pickles, as they came to be known). I'm sure it was a wonderful break from what must have been a fairly flavorless existence. For longer storage, you can process the pickles in canning jars in a boiling water canner.

On a recent trip to Bali, my Balinese stepmother, Putu, let me help her prepare chicken - and I furiously committed her 'non-recipe' to memory to bring home. She has a big mortar and pestle for this kind of thing; I don't, so I end up using both sides of my meat mallet; you just want to get the ingredients well combined and at least somewhat reduced in mass. And since they're baked, not deep-fried, they're a (relatively) healthy pile of wings! I particularly like them with roasted sweet potatoes.

This relish spices up everything from grilled cheese sandwiches to burgers and hot dogs. Or, for an easy appetizer, spoon some over a block of cream cheese and serve with crackers.

This is a fantastic way to use up some leftover grilled chicken breasts. This will work with any kind of cooked chicken, but leftover grilled chicken has that little bit of smokiness that adds something special to this quick recipe. Serve over hot cooked rice.

This is a really delicious, light salad.

The inspiration and basic idea for this amazingly delicious tofu spread recipe comes from my most favorite entomologist friend, Leslie, a.k.a. 'Bug Lady'

A quick and easy BBQ sauce. Great as a dip or for glazing ribs or chicken. I like to blend it smooth for glazing.

Spanish tapas are tasty small plates that when combined can create a light supper or serve as a great appetizer. Patatas Bravas are tasty fried potato cubes served with a smoky, spicy dipping sauce.

Bright, crisp and spicy with crushed green peppercorns, fresh red chile pepper and garlic, these green beans will add lots of flavor and color to your meal. If you can't find Chinese yardlong or 'snake' beans, then regular green beans will do just fine.

Panang curry with chicken represents the diversity of Thailand's southern region. Panang refers to the island of Penang in Northern Malaysia bordering southern Thailand. Use 4 tablespoons curry paste from a fresh curry paste recipe or 5 tablespoons pre-made curry paste if time does not permit making your own paste

This is very good! It's worth it going to the Thai market to get the extra ingredients. I used to order this at a restaurant and I came home and come up with my own version of it. Everyone loves it that tries it. A lot of ingredients but very easy to make. Serve over rice!