There's a playfully scintillating side to hot sauces . . . and it's all in the name.
Obviously, these bottles of burn have been christened with scorching names in honor of the flaming heat produced by chile peppers - the sauce's main ingredient. So it's no wonder folks have tagged hot sauces with titles appropriately referenced to regions lower than a chile pepper might go.The names of hot sauces are like magnets to the product. They grab your attention, THEN your tongue. Who can resist a double take of "Endorphinator Mango BBQ Sauce," or "Religious Experience - The Wrath."
My collection began a couple of years ago while on a trip to Jamaica.
Spying a bottle of "Busha Browne's Jerk Sauce" in the hotel gift shop, the thought came to mind of a couple of likely recipients of such a souvenir. I bought the stuff, only to discover that jerk is a indeed a trendy Jamaican seasoning and method of cooking meat.
Still, the name was so catchy . . .
From then on, my travels have been sidelined by an obsession with odd-shaped bottles of steamy-sounding essence of chile peppers.
The famed Aunt Edna collection continues to grow. Preferred prizes include "Mean Devil Woman," "Brother Bru-Bru's African Hot Sauce," "Inner Beauty," "Tejas Tears," "Vampire Hot Sauce" (made up the road from Transylvania, L.A.),"Bat's Brew," "The Scorned Woman," and "Three Banditos."
Some names are so incendiary that words printed within these genteel margins just can't touch 'em!
Whether or not you're among the SOME "who like it hot," chile sauces have burned their way into the mainstream. It's estimated that tens of millions of bottles in over 14 million American households indicate indeed that hot is "haute."
Coasting on the roasting is Brad Coburn, of Trolley Square's hot sauce haven, "The Heat Is On," located directly across from Williams-Sonoma.
While vacationing a few years ago in St. Louis, Coburn found a store that featured quirky hot sauces and Southwestern paraphernalia. He purchased several items, giving them as Christmas presents that year.
The response to his saucy selections convinced him to look into the world o' hot sauces. He began researching the availability of mail-order hot sauces and the possibility of opening his own shop.
Eventually, he secured a bank loan, left his job at Novell and "took a chance on a fun venture."
Today, his store carries 90 different hot sauces and over 70 varied salsas, which keep Salt Lakers stocked with their favorite brands. We inquired about the latest in hot sauces and were directed to one of Coburn's favorites, "Satan's Slow Burn."
The smoky habanero sauce proved to be delicious. No wonder it was a winner at the 1996 "Fiery Food Challenge."
"People are tired of bland," says Coburn, who notes that Americans are now buying more salsa than catsup. His favorite? A spicy concoction made by Mike & Diane's Gourmet Kitchen in San Diego, called "Ring of Fire," an extra hot habenero sauce that is supposedly so hot "it'll burn ya twice."
"Hot sauces aren't a truly good hot sauce if they just blow your brains out," says Coburn. "It can be really hot but needs to also be flavorful. Most of our sauces aren't much hotter than Tabasco."
We dipped a chip into a bowl of "Ring of Fire," and found it to be truly HOTSY TOTSY! However, after the initial scorching, we crawled back for more. That's the grabber about hot sauces. Most people have tried (usually on a dare) salsa so hot the eyebrows sweat. But strangely enough, pepper sauces with fire AND flavor seem to evoke a repeated sampling response . . . and an equally explosive reaction . . . WHOA!
It's the "one more time" syndrome that makes chileheads out of mere mortals.
"The Heat Is On" is a popular destination of macho types who like to dabble in the depths of "hot pepper hades."
"Some people come in and say, `I know somebody who says they can't ever find anything hot enough,' " Coburn notes. "They end up buying `Dave's Insanity.' "
"Dave's Insanity" is known among the pod people as the hottest of hot sauces. It's brewed from habanero pepper extract, concentrated, then bottled along with other spices. The stuff is considered hotter than "anything that occurs in nature," says Coburn.
The average bottle of hot sauce sells for around five or six dollars, although a bottle of "Ring of Fire" will burn a hole in your pocket at $9.95. A 16-ounce jar of "Thunder Bay Sinful Salsa," a combustibly fruity mix of peppers, onions, spices and pineapple sells for $7.95.
Tastings are ongoing at Coburn's store, where browsers are served chips and a new hot sauce daily.
"We used to sample `Dave's Insanity,' but we found that people were taking much more than they could handle," said Coburn. "We stopped sampling that one. We didn't want to endanger anyone . . . "
Endanger? Over the past quarter century, scientific studies show that capsaicin, the chemical that makes a chile hot, stimulates circulation, breaks up congestion and aids in digestion.
Chiles are also diaphoretics (perspiration producers), which help people who live in hot climates regulate body temperature.
Chile, therapeutically available in herb shops and health food stores as cayenne, is not a miracle cure, but has been used to relieve arthritis, ulcers and heart disease.
Got a bad cold? Add some fire to your foods. Hot chile peppers (found in hot sauce) have a decongestant effect on mucous membranes. The capsaicin stimulates the production of free-flowing mucus, which can thin the heavy mucus that occurs in colds, flu and bronchitis.
It was once believed that chile would burn out the lining of the stomach, but according to Rob McCaleb, an ethnobotanist and president of the Herb Research Foundation in Boulder, Colo., various kinds of chile actually help digestion by increasing the circulation in the stomach and intestines so that food is processed and absorbed more efficiently.
There's also the bonus of the "Endorphin Rush" one gets after ingesting hot sauce . . . you know . . . the HA HA HA HIGH.
I still haven't felt it . . . too preoccupied with the pain, I guess.
But oh what what ecstasy among the agony!
Once only a collector of cute bottles with clever names, now I'm a confirmed chilehead . . . .in search of the "Rush."
Endorphin, not Limbaugh.
*****
Recipes
RING OF FIRE PORK CUTLETS
1 medium-size boneless pork loin, cut into 1/2-inch slices
Juice of 3 limes
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Ring of Fire Hot Sauce*
Dash of apple juice
Pinch of salt
Pinch of garlic
Pinch of onion powder
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except pork. Mix well. Add pork loin slices. Marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour. Dry grill or pan fry (with no oil) the pork slices. Cook approximately 4 minutes on each side, or until pork is done. Garnish with Buckaroo's Twenty Four Kick Peach Salsa.** Serves 6-8.
- Each serving contains 344 calories, 22g fat, 82mg sodium, 103mg cholesterol, 58% calories from fat.
- From Executive Chef Louis Damolaris for "The Heat Is On"
- *Any liquid hot pepper sauce may be used.
- **Any fruit salsa may be used.
BUBBA'S HOT PEPPA OVEN BROWNED POTATOES
5 large baking potatoes sliced in wedges
3/4 bottle of Bubba's Peppa Ketchup*
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup melted butter
1 chicken bouillon cube, crushed
Dash of oregano
Dash of onion powder
Dash of garlic powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cover a rimmed cookie sheet with foil and place potato wedges on the foil, skin side down. Mix remaining ingredients and pour mixture over potato wedges. Bake for 11/2 hours, or until potatoes are tender. Serves 6.
- Each serving contains 422 calories, 16g fat, 713mg sodium, 41mg cholesterol, 33% calories from fat.
- From Executive Chef Louie Damolaris, created exclusively for "The Heat Is On"
- *Substitute 1 cup ketchup plus liquid hot pepper sauce to taste.
CONDEMNATION CHIPOTLE PEPPER RICE
2 cups uncooked rice
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
Juice of 1 lime
Dash of salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 jars Condemnation Salsa, Regular or Hot*
2 softened chipotle peppers, mashed
Soften chipotles in warm water for 30 minutes. Brown rice in oil. Add remaining ingredients. Stir and bring to a boil. Let simmer until rice is done, about 15-20 minutes. Serves 6-8.
- Each serving contains 241 calories, 6g fat, 815mg sodium, trace cholesterol, 22% calories from fat.
- From Executive Chef Louie Damolaris, created exclusively for "The Heat Is On"
- *Any tomato-based salsa may be used.
ITALIAN ROASTED PEPPER SANDWICHES
8-12 meaty medium-hot peppers (any variety)
3 cloves fresh garlic
1/2 cup light olive oil
1/4 cup Century Hot Pepper Sauce*
1/4 teaspoon salt
Fresh Italian bread
Choose fresh peppers that feel heavy for their size. Thin-walled or old peppers will not peel easily. Place olive oil and garlic cloves, peeled and halved, in a bowl. Meanwhile, char all sides of the peppers over an outdoor grill, or indoors under the broiler. Halve and peel peppers, discarding inside membranes (wear plastic gloves, and DO NOT RUB YOUR EYES!). Do not rinse under water . . . this wastes flavor and heat. As pepper skins are removed, place the still-warm pepper fillets in the olive oil and garlic, tossing gently. Add Century Sauce and salt. Slice fresh Italian bread and place pepper pieces between two slices and serve. These peppers are excellent served on top of Italian sausage sandwiches, or as a topping for grilled steaks. Refrigerate any leftover peppers, however, best served at room temperature. Serves 12.
- Each serving contains 174 calories, 10g fat, 753mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol, 52% calories from fat.
- From "The Heat Is On"
- *Any liquid hot pepper sauce may be used.
SCORNED WOMAN HOT CRAB DIP
2 cups fresh or frozen crab meat
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning (Old Bay)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Dash of cayenne pepper
2-4 tablespoons Scorned Woman Hot Sauce*
Pita bread or flour tortilla chips for dipping
Combine softened cream cheese, seafood seasoning, sugar, lemon juice, and Scorned Woman Hot Sauce. Gently add crab meat and stir until just combined. Pour into a shallow broiler-proof baking dish and dust with cayenne pepper and additional seafood seasoning. Broil for 10 minutes, or until browned and bubbly. Serve immediately with pita wedges or flour tortilla chips. Serves 6.
- Each serving contains 429 calories, 30g fat, 621mg sodium, 129mg cholesterol, 63% calories from fat.
- From "The Heat Is On"
- *Any liquid hot pepper sauce may be used.
FRESH SALSA AT THE BEACH
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 kiwis, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 tablespoons At the Beach Hot Sauce*
Combine all the ingredients and chill the mixture. Delicious with grilled fish, chicken, or pork. You can serve the salsa in the shell of half the orange you squeezed for juice. Serves 4-6.
- Each serving contains 88 calories, trace fat, 17mg sodium, 0mg cholesterol, 2% calories from fat.
- From "Meltdown, the Official Fiery Foods Show Cookbook," by Dave DeWitt and Mary Jane Wilan.
- *Any liquid hot pepper sauce may be used.
TORTILLA CREAM CHEESE ROLL-UPS
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup Santa Fe Season's Red Chile Salsa
1/2 teaspoon Santa Fe Season's Chile Blend
1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
6 to 8 flour tortillas
3/4 cup sliced black olives
1 1/2 bunches fresh spinach
1 bunch green onions, trimmed of roots
Beat together the cream cheese, Santa Fe Season's Red Chile Salsa, Santa Fe Season's Chile Blend, and mushrooms until the mixture is light and fluffy. Place 3 tablespoons of the mixture on each tortilla and spread it evenly, leaving a 1-inch margin on opposite sides. Divide the olives among the tortillas, and cover with the whole spinach leaves. Place the whole green stalk of a green onion across each tortilla. Roll the tortilla tightly, starting from a bare edge; use the remaining cream cheese to help hold the roll together. Put the tortillas on a plate and cover them with plastic. Refrigerate overnight. Before serving, let the rolls stand for 10 minutes at room temperature, then slice them crosswise into approximately 8 pieces. Serve immediately. Serves 8 to 10.
- Each serving contains 207 calories, 14g fat, 535mg sodium, 26mg cholesterol, 58% of calories from fat.
- From "Meltdown, the Official Fiery Foods Show Cookbook," by Dave DeWitt and Mary Jane Wilan.
- *Any bottled tomato-based salsa may be used.
- **Any dry salsa or Southwestern spice mixture may be used.