The hottest pepper on the planet is…

The Naga Jolokia Chili Pepper.  Also known as theGhost Chili – found primarily n Bangladesh and a few of the north eastern states of India.

The level of heat in peppers is rated on something called the “Scoville Scale”.

The number of  “scoville heat units” will go up or down depending on the concentration of capsaicin in each substance. 

Capsaicin is the chemical compound in these peppers that irritates our tissues.  In high concentrations, it is what makes you feel like you’ve just spit-out a mouthful of molten lava. 

Putting some perspective to what’s hot and what’s not…

According to their Scoville Ratings:

Jalepeno Pepper/Tobasco Sauce = 8,000

Malgueta Pepper = 100,000

Habanero Chili/Scotch Bonnet Pepper = 350,000

Naga Jolokia Chili Pepper = 1,075,000…Over 100 times hotter than Tobasco Sauce!

Interesting to note that capsaicin from these types of pepper are commonly extracted and used in ointments that provide some relief to aching muscles and arthritic joints.

Stuffed Green Peppers with Brown Rice, Italian Sausage, and Parmesan

(Makes 4 large stuffed green peppers)

1 C long-grain brown rice (I used Uncle Ben's Brown Rice, but any long-grain rice will work.)
4 large green bell peppers, bottom trimmed, cap end cut off and diced, and seeds removed
1 large onion, diced
2 tsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil
2 links turkey Sweet Italian Sausage (or other sausage of your choice. Use diced mushrooms instead of sausage for vegetarian version.)
1/2 tsp. ground fennel
1/2 tsp. dried Greek or Turkish oregano
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Cook rice according to package directions, or using a rice cooker. (Rice can be cooked ahead and used in this recipe later.)

Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Trim bottom of bell peppers so they have a flat surface to stand on. Cut off a fairly generous amount of the stem end of peppers, then remove seeds. Place hollowed-out peppers in a baking dish that you've sprayed with non-stick spray or olive oil. (A dish that's close in size to the peppers will work best.)

Remove stem part from the pepper caps and trim off any white membrane, then dice pepper caps and the onion into fairly small dice. Heat 2 tsp. olive oil in a large skillet, then saute diced pepper and onion for 3-4 minutes, until they are starting to soften but aren't browned. Remove pepper-onion mixture to a bowl, add 1 tsp. more olive oil, then squeeze sausage out of the casing and cook until it's lightly browned, breaking apart with the back of the turner.

Put the onion-pepper mixture back into the pan with the sausage, add the dried spices, and saute 2-3 minutes to blend the flavors. Then add cooked rice and Parmesan cheese, season the mixture with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, and cook just long enough to warm, about 1-2 minutes.

Stuff the filling mixture into the hollowed-out peppers, using a spoon to press the mixture down so it's tightly packed into the pepper shell. (A few years ago I stopped pre-cooking the peppers before stuffing, and now I prefer peppers that are stuffed raw.) If you have any extra filling, you can put it in a small ramekin and bake along with the peppers. Bake peppers for 30 minutes, then remove from oven and put a generous pinch of grated mozzarella on top of each pepper. Put peppers back into the oven and bake about 10-15 minutes more, until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Serve hot.

You can freeze leftover peppers for a month or two, although the frozen peppers will be a little softer in texture (but still very tasty.) I cut them in half top-to-bottom before freezing and freeze two halves in a small baking dish with a snap-on lid.

Red Capsicum and Feta Fritters

Ingredients:
4 roasted red peppers (chopped)
1 handful parsley (chopped)
1 tablespoon oregano (chopped)
2 green onions (sliced)
1/4 cup feta (crumbled)
1 egg
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2+ cup flour
oil for frying

Directions:
1. Mix the roasted red peppers, parsley, oregano, onions, feta, egg, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl.
2. Mix in the flour adding more if needed in order to ensure that the fritters will hold together.
3. Heat the oil in a pan.
4. Spoon the mixture into the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side.