"spicy" news and stories

Driving through Nashville yesterday, I stopped at my favorite fried chicken joint, famous for its cayenne-laden, demonically spicy "hot chicken." Having had the "medium" and "hot" before, this time I went for the "x-tra hot."

The woman behind the counter looked me up and down and said "mmm hmm."

That should have been a warning.

Now I love spicy food. Love it. Drown my scrambled eggs in Valentina hot sauce, eat the extra jalapeños out of my friends' enchiladas, order my lamb vindaloo "as hot as possible. Seriously, as hot as possible."

But this chicken darn near killed me.

Biting into its crispy, cayenne-orange skin, a mushroom cloud exploded in my sinus cavity, my lips went numb, my feet began to sweat. I stuffed my mouth full of white bread and Diet Coke to stifle the battery acid burn on my tongue and gums and prayed I wouldn't pass out. Seriously, I can't believe that chicken isn't regulated by the government as a chemical weapon. When the pain finally subsided and I could move, I slunk back to the counter and ordered a "mild."

The woman behind the counter laughed.

Next time, I'll order the regular "hot."

So I was wondering: what's the hottest dish you've ever tasted? And what are your favorite remedies to cool the heat in your mouth (I've tried milk, bananas and bread in the past)?

When I peeked into my Inbox yesterday, I saw an email that was promoting a recipe for Spicy Citrus Caramel Chicken Wings that Martha Stewart will be making on her show this Friday. As I read through it, my protective senses were alerted. Martha's recipe is very similar to the Sticky Chicken Wings I shared with everyone yesterday! Though Martha bakes her wings in the oven and I, of course, deep-fried mine, the sauce recipe had similar ingredients and the same technique! Could Martha Stewart have designed her recipe based on my Sticky Wings?! Because, you know, I am sure that Martha Stewart surfs Slashfood and browses recipes (or rather, that she tells her assistants to surf Slashfood).

If you want to make Martha's wings, the recipe is after the jump, but don't tell me about it because it'll hurt my feelings that you picked hers over mine.

For a fun finger-food rich in Omega-3s and protein, check out this spicy mix of almonds and hazelnuts, courtesy of the show everyone loves to hate/hates to love, 30 Minute Meals.

Sesame Five-Spice Roasted Nuts

1 cup peeled whole almonds
1 cup whole hazelnuts
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons five- spice powder (ground star anise, Szechuan peppercorn, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed)
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 cup smoked almonds. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees F, and roast the nuts for 7 minutes.

Toast sesame seeds over medium heat in a skillet for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Add butter, five-spice powder, and hot sauce, then add roasted nuts and smoked nuts and toss to coat in butter. Add sesame seeds and toss with nuts. Serve warm.

Source

Writer and editor Jade Walker posts a favorite recipe on her web site every once in a while, and this month it's the Buffalo Wing Sandwich.

Buffalo Wing Sandwiches

1 pkg (9 oz) southwestern chicken strips
1 cup butter, softened and divided
2 tbsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp bbq sauce
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp parsley, minced and fresh
4 cups shredded lettuce
2 tbsp celery, chopped fine
2 tbsp blue cheese dressing (on the side)
salt and pepper
4 hoagie buns

My friend and fellow blogger Joe Distefano is always going on about Asian snacks and candy. We try to beat out the other in finding the best, strangest, and tastiest Asian snack to munch on and talk about. I remember when I dared him to buy a bag of small candied crabs a few years ago and put them in a candy bowl in his desk at work to see what the reaction would be.

Well, today I ran across a tasty little snack when i was out shopping. I have been suffering from the flu related blues for a few days and had to get out of the house. Most people go shopping for clothes or power tools when they need a pick me up. I go food shopping, especially at ethnic markets. This snack is Asian Best brand "Crispy Snack Sesame Anchovy Fish." They are headless anchovies that are fried, candied, and covered with a chili powder and sesame seed coating.

They look kinda strange, these 1-2 inch long golden, shiny fish all studded with sesame seeds with red hints of chili powder. The smell is slightly fishy but the taste barely makes you think of fish at all. They are crunchy sweet at first, with the sesame taste coming through like those sesame brittle candies. Then the chili burn comes along, followed by a hint of fried fish. They are super tasty little snacks and great beer or cocktail munchies. Surprisingly they are low in fat and calories, and have tons of calcium. I can't wait to put them out as snacks at my next cocktail party.