3 new things to do with those Habs - with pics and recipes
Greetings, friends. My wife Kim and I have been having a blast figuring out new and creative things to do with habaneros, due to our high (and unexpected!) yield. I know people are sometimes stumped about what specifically to do with these pods. Weve been discovering that they are super-versatile. Here are THREE of our habanero-centric dishes, with pics and recipes. I will add more to this thread as we come up with new stuff.
Note: In the pic below are the kind of habs we used in all the recipes: traditional orange habs. Ours are a large-ish red. If you are using smaller store-bought habs, you might want to up the hab count for each recipe by a bit; for example, from 5 to 7, etc.
OK, letÂs look at the recipes. First up, habanero cookies!
DONÂT BE A WUSS LEAVE IN ALL THE SEEDS HUMONGOUSLY GREAT HABANERO PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
We made 55 cookies in two versions of the recipe, and then proceeded to eat every last of them in one day. And that was WITH the two of us being on diets. Well, not that day, I guess. ThatÂs how good these came out.
Here is a pic of Version 1 (beta) of the cookie mix, which included coconut flakes and cashews. (We later took those ingredients out).
Here is a pic of the Version 1 (beta) cookies;
Here is close-up of one Version 1 cookie, where the habanero chunks are easy to see;
In version 2, we radically improved the recipe by making it into a straight habanero peanut butter cookie and deleting the coconut, cashews and some other spurious ingredients. This is the one that the recipe below will make. Here is a pic of these addicting cookies, seconds before being consumed:
And finally here is the recipe:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup white sugar
1 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon vanilla
5 minced (medium-sized) orange habanero peppers* (about 2+ tablespoons)
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup peanut butter chips (ReeseÂs; alternative: chocolate chips )
½ cup lightly salted cocktail peanuts, chopped
½ cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup oats (regular or quick cooking, not instant oatmeal)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, cream together sugar, brown sugar, white sugar, and peanut butter until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time until well blended. Add the vanilla and minced peppers. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the peanut butter chips, peanuts, coconut and oats. Drop by rounded tablespoonful onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 13-15 minutes (depending on the size you make the cookies) in the preheated oven, or until just light brown. Don't over-bake. Cool and store in an airtight container.
Makes roughly 50-55 2.5" cookies
Removing the seeds and ribs from 2-3 of the 5 habs will result in a medium-spicy cookie. Adjust to taste.
Next up:
TROPICAL HABANERO CHUTNEY/SAUCE
I have previously posted an early version of this, but weÂve since improved the recipe considerably, and IÂm posting the improved recipe here. This is a medium-hot habanero-serrano chutney using pineapple and mango. ItÂs really great on Jamaican jerk type dishes where it blends in with the hab flavor of jerk, and also very good as a spicy sauce on shrimp, chicken, etc. Here is some of it sitting on chicken:
Here is a bunch of it canned  it has a nice multi-color (orange-red) look to it.
HereÂs a close up of one jar of it:
And here is the recipe:
Tropical Habanero Chutney
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
pinch of salt
2-3 cups small diced fresh pineapple
2 cups small diced fresh mango
1 cup small diced red bell pepper
2 small diced green serranos
2 tablespoons (5-6) minced orange habaneros, seeded and de-ribbed to taste
zest and juice of 1 lime
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1 cup vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions. Season with salt and sauté for 2 minutes
Add pineapple, red bell pepper, habanero, jalapeno, lime, allspice. Saute until pineapple is soft, around 7 minutes, stirring frequently
Add vinegar and sugar. Bring mixture to a boil.
Combine cornstarch and water in bowl and whisk until smooth; stir into main bowl and return to a boil.
Cook for 4 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Store in airtight container until ready for use.
( This recipe is an adaptation of an Emeril recipe, though itÂs changed a lot. HereÂs a link to the original Emeril one: http://www.fineliving.com/fine/entertaining/article/0,2498,FINE_22197_5927849,00.html )
Third up:
HELLFIRE PEPPER TAPENADE
OK, that name might be a bit of an exaggeration  itÂs hot but, um, not quite hellfire. Sounds good, though. This is a tapenade consisting of different kinds, colors, and heat levels of peppers, but the main influencing flavor is, of course, the mighty habenero. It has a medium heat level while being consumed, but leaves that pleasant sheen of habanero afterburn on the lips for 15-20 minutes post-meal. This was an experimental dish, but it came out so much better than expected, and is an excellent hot pepper spread for bread, meats, etc. I highly recommend giving it a shot.
HereÂs what the recipe will look like right after preparation:
HereÂs what it would look like on a couple pieces of bread:
And here is the recipe:
¼ cup almonds
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 large sweet onions
1 whole bulb (not clove) of garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
5 whole orange habaneros*
5 jalapenos, seeded and de-ribbed
3 large sweet peppers, e.g. bells, cubanelles, etc.
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon ground chipotle chile (e.g. brand: Spice Islands)
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
½ tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
 Preheat oven to 425
 Separate garlic bulb into cloves; peel cloves; leave whole
 Cut onions and all peppers into roughly ¾ inch pieces
 Place garlic, onions and peppers into a 1 gallon plastic ziplock bag
 Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, chipotle powder, smoked paprika into the bag
 Seal bag and toss mixture for a minute or two (to coat vegetables)
 Empty bag onto large cookie sheet; roast in oven for 30-35 minutes, flipping half-way through to promote even browning
 Remove from oven and let cool
 Grind almonds in food processor (pulse) until coarsely ground
 Add all vegetables from cookie sheet, 3 tablespoons of oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, basil and rosemary to food processor
 Process until smooth with small chunks; do not liquefy. Use pulse.
* itÂs hot! Seed/de-rib some of the habs to taste
Enjoy! We are continuing our habanero R&D effort and there should be at least one more new dish this week.
Comments (17)
the_pepper_guy
mudmanfinisher
Related Discussions
It was a sad thing to do........(pics)
Q
So.....Do any of your guys actually eats Habs??
Q
Putting orange habs to work: a few pics and a recipe
Q
WANTED: Good things come to those who wait!
Q
megachiliOriginal Author
sandpebbles
t-bob
megachiliOriginal Author
organic_dusty
organic_dusty
mudmanfinisher
megachiliOriginal Author
organic_dusty
mudmanfinisher
mudmanfinisher
megachiliOriginal Author
mudmanfinisher
tsheets
tn_veggie_gardner