Chili Pepper ideas

I love chili peppers but I am always stuck on what dishes to use them in.  Anyone out there with some ideas?  I have one in the fridge waiting to be used right now!!!  My mother used to eat them plain with cheese!  I am not as daring as her!!!

Chili peppers are great in stir fries, Stacey! Perhaps not ALL of it, though 

My Aunt makes lovely cheddar chili biscuits using bisquick! Just the normal biscuits with the cheddar and chili mixed in at the final stage before baking!

I dont know how to cook with them but the curries I get (used to get) had small green ones in it. I never ate them but it added a nice flavor. I heard they are supposed to be good for your heart or something.

Here, in New Mexico, chiles are used in/on everything. They are usually roasted and chopped and used as a condiment or an ingredient. Chopped chiles are great in casseroles, egg dishes, on pizza, burgers, sandwiches and salads; they add such a nice spicy, smoky flavor-mmmmmmm. When I lived back east, I never ate anything hot and spicy and now I am addicted- the hotter, the better .

Liz

thanks all!  Great ideas!  I'm always afraid to cook with them in case they send off fumes or I touch my eye  with my hands after handling.  Crazy I know!

thanks all!  Great ideas!  I'm always afraid to cook with them in case they send off fumes or I touch my eye  with my hands after handling.  Crazy I know!

Not crazy- I don't blame you! I had an episode with garlic yesterday! I crushed it for our roast chicken but because my nose is totally blocked, I didn't remember that I hadn't yet washed my hands!

 
I had to rinse my right eye for 10 minutes!

I love chili peppers but I am always stuck on what dishes to use them in.  Anyone out there with some ideas?  I have one in the fridge waiting to be used right now!!!  My mother used to eat them plain with cheese!  I am not as daring as her!!!

I put chillies in almost every dish i cook... really!  I cook a lot of Mexican and Asian dishes, but i also put chillies in my spag bol,  my home-made chicken soup, my kedgeree,  ... everything!

I put chillies in almost every dish i cook... really!  I cook a lot of Mexican and Asian dishes, but i also put chillies in my spag bol,  my home-made chicken soup, my kedgeree,  ... everything!

Do you add them then cook, or add them after?

Do you add them then cook, or add them after?

I add them while cooking.  I'm not into raw chillies, except when chopped very fine and sprinkled over nachos.

I guess I keep thinking cooking chilis will cause the pepper spray effect.

what do you mean by 'pepper spray effect'?   

thanks all!  Great ideas!  I'm always afraid to cook with them in case they send off fumes or I touch my eye  with my hands after handling.  Crazy I know!

I generally use disposable gloves when chopping/seeding hot chilis.

Also, I'm with augie & otterpop -- love chilis in anything/everything. When I used to visit New Mexico & Texas occasionally, I sometimes even found a really hot chili jelly/jam! It was great as a little dollop over cream cheese on crackers or bagels.

Ooh yeah... when i was visiting New Mexico several years ago, i found a PEANUT BUTTER with chilli in it, and it was delish!!

Stacey, you dont need to worry about fumes from chillies unless you are using habanero / Scotch Bonnet.  Those do have 'fumes', but  it only burns for a minute, so im not bothered about the fumes.   Just wash your hands well after handling any sort of chilli, and it should be ok to touch your eyes, nose, whatever.    If using habanero or Scotch Bonnet,  i'd say wash your hands, then wash them again if you're worried.

I think some of us are more sensitive to the chili fumes than others.  I often find I have to leave the kitchen when hubby is making curry -- what with the onion, garlic, chilis, etc -- it gets too much, burning my eyes & throat.

OK, I should be OK then! 

I was in a bar once where someone sprayed pepper spray and it was horrible!  Everyone was coughing, ick!!!