The one habanero pepper plant in our garden plot continues to supply us with more than enough hot peppers. I do not know what to do with all these small bright orange peppers. They are pretty, but so pungent! One tiny crumb size bite will burn your tongue. A week ago I roasted about 15 of the habaneros in our oven. As they roasted, the kitchen filled with a sweet smell that reminded me of a deli or a room filled with pepperoni sticks. Then the aroma became overpowering and grabbed my throat. I could not stop coughing and my eyes started watering. I opened our kitchen sliding glass door and stood outside on our deck until the coughing stopped. Those are powerful peppers!

Yesterday, while making chili for guests I wondered if my roasted habaneros had less heat than uncooked habaneros. I cut a speck of skin from a roasted habanero and placed it on my tongue. It gave a tingling burn, not a stabbing burn. The heat seemed reduced so I chopped one-fourth of a roasted habanero and added it to the sauting onions and garlic. My chili got a spice lift and tasted fabulous. It had a rich hot and sweet flavor.  My husband and guests devoured my chili as they told their own hot pepper stories.   Today, my friend, a creative cook, suggested that I add my leftover pumpkin soup to the leftover hot chili.  Our spicy pumpkin chili was delicious, mild and creamy.

Don’t be afraid to add habanero peppers to recipes.  They are hot and sweet.  The website,  Habanero Madness and  the book, Habanero has more than enough habanero pepper advice and recipes for all my habaneros.

What do you do with your habanero peppers?