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But chiles not only add life to your food, they're quite good for your
health. Specialists at Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand, have found
that a regular diet of hot peppers correlates with the body's ability to
dissolve potentially harmful blood clots, potentially lowering the risk of
certain heart problems. And other research shows that in some cases peppers
may have an anti-cancer effect.
Capsaicin sets just about all of your body's juices flowing: You salivate,
your nose runs, you sweat, and your digestive juices flow like crazy. The
effects are so pronounced that they can relieve the congestion of colds or
bronchitis.
Now that I've passed my initiation into pepper manhood, I cook with chiles
quite often. One of my favorite recipes, which I got from a great little
magazine called The Whole Chile Pepper, is for an all purpose sauce made with
dried red peppers. The magazine rates the sauce a 7 on a heat scale of 1 to
10, an assessment I agree with.
To make the sauce, you'll need 10 to 12 dried whole chiles; 1 large onion,
chopped; 3 cloves garlic, chopped; and 3 cups of water.
Start, by placing the chiles on a baking pan in a 250-degree oven and bake
about 15 minutes or until the peppers smell toasted.
Remove the stems and seeds, and crumble the toasted chiles into a
saucepan. Next, add the onion, garlic and water. Bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 20 to 30 minutes or until the chiles are soft.
Puree the mixture in a blender, then strain. If the sauce is too thin,
place it back on the stove and simmer until it is reduced to the desired
consistency.
I use the sauce on Mexican or Southwestern dishes such as enchiladas,
tacos and burritos, or to spice up chicken and fish dishes.
QUENCHING THE FLAMES