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[penguinofhonor]

Okay, those sound pretty cool. I'll have to grab one if I ever get into steaming. As of now I've only steamed one thing ever.

[Bauglir]

I'm making blood sausage again. Since I don't want to bother with sausage casings again, I'm trying a meatloaf-like version.

5 cups blood
7 eggs
1/2 cup milk
13.5 oz (1 can) coconut milk
1 pound pig brain

2 cups Textured Vegetable Protein (I'd have used more but I forgot to get a new bag last time I was out)
4 cups flour (I used a mix of corn masa and rice flour, which is what I had on hand)
2 yellow onions and 1/2 cup ginger, minced and sauteed
1 tsp salt
Vast quantities of garlic and black pepper
Potato flakes (buy the largest box available)

Combine all ingredients in a giant bowl. Stir. The amount of potato flakes you'll need is just enough to get it to a very thick, lumpy consistency. It should be just a bit thinner than bread dough, but much chunkier. The brains should break up into little pieces as you stir, if it's thick enough. Spoon all of that into a couple of cake pans, cook at 325 degrees for an hour. 10 minutes in, you may wish to apply a sauce, as I have done (mine was sauerkraut juice, mustard, sriracha, and a little sugar). Completely fills 2 rectangular cake pans, though I don't know the size.

I made this up on the spot, so it's a bit experimental. Depending on where you get your blood, it may have clotted already - don't worry, just shove it in a blender with some of the other liquid ingredients. You can probably omit the milk, which I only added for that exact purpose. Substituting grain for flour would also not be a bad strategy, it's just something I forgot to buy. You can also substitute suet or chunks of meat for the brain. It did clot again while I was mixing, thickening things rather dramatically, but I hear that can be avoided with vinegar if you prefer to let it do its thickening as it cooks, which you probably do if you're using grain (since you want it wet enough for that to absorb a lot of liquid as it cooks, but you want it solid by the end of it).

EDIT: Okay, so use cake pans, not loaf pans. The loaf pan took about an hour longer to cook and is far too dry on the exterior. I would not recommend this recipe as-is. It needs more TVP, less potato, and no flour at all (oatmeal instead). More black pepper, as well.

[Jopax]

So, Grappolo tomatoes. How do you guys go about in using these. Bought some for the first time today, and I did the usual chop 'em up and let the frying pan sort 'em out deal along with some onions and green paprikas. Should make for a nice vegetable dish. Sprinkle some white wine on it and let it juice up the pan.

[Sappho]

The other day I bought some peppers from my local market. There were three bins, all labeled "feferoni" (Czech general word for several types of peppers, usually mildly spicy ones that look like chilis but aren't). One bin had green ones that resembled jalapenos, one had red ones that looked like chili peppers, and one had these round crinkly-looking red ones I had never seen before. I grabbed a few of each. The green ones were somewhat spicy. The red ones had almost no spice at all. I just grabbed one of the crinkly ones and started cutting it up - I figured I'd just toss the whole thing in a stir-fry, since none of these seemed to be very strong. Then I decided I'd taste a bit beforehand, and it set my mouth on fire. Then my hands started to tingle and burn, and my eyes, and my face.

I don't know what these peppers are called but they are the spiciest things I've encountered since leaving the US. I just threw a few pieces in my stir-fry and it's still almost too hot to eat. I just absentmindedly scratched my nose and had to run to the kitchen to wash my hands and face with dish soap to try to get the chili oil out. Then I took a bite and a piece of pepper touched the back of my tongue and I had to gargle with alcohol to make the pain stop.

I've picked out all the little pieces I could find and it's improved to a sane level of spice, but now I don't know what to do with these peppers. I've still got another whole one in the fridge. I like spicy food, but this is just crazy. Any suggestions about what I should do with it? Does anyone know what they're called?

EDIT: OK, I'm an idiot. I just looked up some pictures and it seems they are red habaneros, the spiciest peppers in the world. How they ended up at a tiny market in Prague is beyond me, but I certainly know better now. For some reason I had always pictured habanero peppers being longer, but I guess I never actually saw one, just tasted them in sauces. Still don't know what to do with it, will have to look up some recipes... Suggestions welcome!

[Haspen]

These ones?

[Sappho]

Nope, this is a quick webcam shot, it seems they are red habaneros:



Please note that Czech people generally dislike anything even mildly spicy (if I put black pepper in food Czech friends complain it's too hot for them). These peppers, something that Czechs will definitely not recognize, are not in any way labeled as being very spicy. Fortunately I was cautious. I can't imagine what other people might experience.

[penguinofhonor]

This one seems closer to what you have.

And they're not the hottest peppers in the world. They're damn close - I'd never touch one - but watch out for the stuff that's even hotter.

[Sappho]

From that link: "The Red Savina pepper is a cultivar of the habanero chili (Capsicum chinense Jacquin), which has been selectively bred to produce hotter, heavier, and larger fruit."

So yeah, they're habaneros. My face still hurts. My hand still hurt. It even hurts under my fingernails. Fortunately gargling with whiskey stopped the pain in my mouth and throat...

[penguinofhonor]

I didn't mean they weren't habaneros. I just meant that seemed to be specifically what you had. That also explains the fact that they aren't shaped like a generic habanero.

Also, gargling with whiskey is pretty badass.

[Sappho]

I think getting the pepper oil on my face below my eyes would have been way more badass, had I done it knowingly/intentionally. Whiskey just happened to be the strongest alcohol I had. I'm putting some on my hands as well actually. It burns under my fingernails, how does that even happen, fuck.

EDIT: Okay, new concern... Because I did add some of the pepper to my stir-fry, there is now chili oil in my wok. You're not supposed to wash a wok with soap, you're supposed to just rinse it in water and leave the oil coating on it to protect it. Will I be eating habanero spice in everything I cook for god knows how long? Or should I break all the rules and just wash off the wok's coating, then burn it in from scratch? Hmmmmmmmmm

[Bauglir]

Would you be willing to waste some more oil to dilute/rinse it?

[Sappho]

AAAHHHHHHH it is now 15 hours later and my hands still burn. I have tried:
washing with dish soap (at least a dozen times)
soaking in alcohol
soaking in milk
rubbing hands with olive oil then washing with dish soap
coating hands in burn cream

The burning feeling is slowly getting less severe, but every time I absentmindedly touch my face it tingles for a few minutes afterwards. I work with little kids and I have to be careful not to touch them today. Anyone have any idea how long the burning can last? I don't think the oil actually damages your skin but I'm starting to worry. Is it true that it can blind you or cause actual burns, or is that one of those urban legends? Any other suggestions for stopping the burning?

[Sirus]

Well, considering that capsaicin, the stuff in the peppers that makes them spicy, is one of the ingredients in pepper spray...

Also this:

Painful exposures to capsaicin-containing peppers are among the most common plant-related exposures presented to poison centers. They cause burning or stinging pain to the skin, and if ingested in large amounts by adults or small amounts by children, can produce nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and burning diarrhea. Eye exposure produces intense tearing, pain, conjunctivitis and blepharospasm.[50]

Might want to try aloe gel or something.

[Jopax]

Also if you're worried about the kids buy a pair of those rubber medical glowes, they should be available at any apothecary store and are rather cheap. Other than that, I have no idea how to fight that stuff exactly since the hottest I've tried were these pickled chillies and they were hot as hell (still went trought a big ass jar within two weeks with a roommate).

[Sappho]

Alright, nearly 24 hours after the Incident, the spice is almost completely gone. Hands no longer hurt, though my eyes sting for a minute or so if I stupidly touch them. Presumably I'll be ok by morning. But holy shit guys. Never mess with habaneros. Them fuckers BITE.