Not Too Hot As Peppers Go, Jalapenos Won’t Start Any Fires, But They Will Heat Up The Flavor

True chiliheads think they’re sissy food. Too mild, they say. But a little jalapeno chili can make flavors skyrocket.

Sure, rice sauteed with sweet onions and garlic is delicious, but it can be better. Pasta sauce, cheese omelets and grilled chicken are satisfying, but they can be a little namby-pamby.

Add minced fresh jalapeno and the flavor explodes. It’s a fast and inexpensive culinary trick. A fresh jalapeno costs 4 to 6 cents, and they are available year-round in most supermarkets.

Bright to dark green, tapering to a rounded end, jalapenos measure 2 to 3 inches in length and 1-1/2 inches in diameter (don’t confuse them with serranos, smaller chilies that are much, much hotter). Some chili experts contend that the more rounded the tip of the chili is, the milder it will be. So if you prefer less kick, search out jalapenos with rounded ends.

When cooking with jalapenos, remove the veins and seeds to reduce the heat, then finely mince. Add a little at first; taste and add more as needed. The amount of capsaicin - the strong irritant that gives heat to chilies - varies from jalapeno to jalapeno.

If your mouth ignites, forget what Uncle George said about drinking beer to put out the flames. The best antidote to raging hotness is dairy products: milk, yogurt or ice cream.

It seems to me that commercially grown jalapenos (not to be confused with home-grown varieties) are milder than they used to be. Some aren’t much hotter than a bell pepper - downright sissified.

Recently I stuffed some with a cheese mixture and grilled them. I tasted four. The first three were divine, the oozing cheese a perfect match for the only slightly piquant jalapenos. But No. 4 was a capsaicin bullet. It took two glasses of milk to contain the mouth flames.

Add jalapenos to almost anything you want to spice up - potatoes, pesto or pizza, vegetables and vinaigrettes, even canned soups.

But maybe you should forget Jalapeno Fudge. I’ve tried it, and it was a taste-bud tragedy.

Here are some easy ways to add minced fresh jalapenos to your culinary repertoire.

Scrambled Eggs and Omelets: Saute chopped onion and minced jalapeno in butter or olive oil until softened. Add beaten eggs and scramble. Or use the onion-jalapeno mixture as an omelet filling along with some grated Cheddar or jack cheese; garnish with chopped cilantro.

Stuffed Grilled Jalapenos: These are appetizers for gastronomic gamblers - folks who like to live on the edge.

To make the cheese stuffing, combine 1/2 cup of grated sharp Cheddar, 1/2 cup grated jack cheese and 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese. Cut peppers down one side, open them book-style and remove the veins and seeds. Press the cheese to compact it inside the jalapeno and press the jalapeno’s sides together.

Chill stuffed jalapenos before grilling. Grill until the cheese melts and the chilies are lightly charred. If desired, serve on small, thin slices of French bread.

Firecracker Rice: Saute 1 onion in 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan that has a tightly fitting lid. When the onion becomes transparent, add 1 cup of uncooked long-grain rice and 1 to 3 minced jalapenos. Saute, stirring, until the rice is lightly browned.

Add 2 cups of vegetable or chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to simmer for 16 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and fluff the rice with a fork.

Serve the rice hot or use it to make Firecracker Rice Salad. Combine chilled rice, a little lime juice, chopped cilantro, shredded jack cheese and diced tomato. Add garlic salt to taste. If desired, garnish the salad with avocado slices.

Marinade: For a quickie marinade for meat, poultry and fish, add minced jalapeno to bottled oil-and-vinegar dressing. If you have a little more time, make a Honey-Jalapeno Marinade and use it to marinate chicken breasts, pork chops or lamb chops.

Combine 1 minced jalapeno chili, 2 tablespoons of Dijon-style mustard, 2 cloves of garlic (minced), 1 tablespoon of honey and 1-1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice; whisk to combine. Reserve 2 tablespoons of marinade for basting; place about 1 pound of meat in a nonreactive bowl and pour on marinade.

Marinate the meat for 20 minutes before grilling; discard the marinade that was used with the meat. Brush the meat with the reserved marinade during grilling.

Broccoli: Peel the stems and cook the broccoli in boiling water until it is tender-crisp; drain. Place vegetable oil in wok or deep skillet. Add minced garlic and minced jalapenos; cook them until softened.

When the garlic is softened but not browned, add the broccoli. Cook the mixture until the broccoli is slightly browned. Season with salt, pepper and grated Parmesan cheese.

Pear Salad with Pizazz: Prepare a vinaigrette with 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 3 tablespoons of honey, 1 tablespoon of minced candied ginger, 1 minced jalapeno and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil.

Quarter and core pears; place them on a platter lined with bibb lettuce. Stir the vinaigrette and drizzle it onto the pears. Top the pears with toasted pecans, if desired.

Jalapeno Penicillin: Saute a little minced onion and jalapeno; add the mixture to canned chicken noodle soup or cream of chicken soup. Add corn kernels if you like or top the soup with crisp tortilla strips (baked or fried) as a garnish.

Pasta with Attitude: Saute chopped onion, chopped carrot, minced garlic and minced jalapeno. Add the mixture to your favorite prepared tomato-based pasta sauce. Taste the sauce and add a little balsamic vinegar for a subtle-sweet addition.

Or make a Jalapeno Pesto by combining 1 minced jalapeno, 1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds, 1 cup of chopped cilantro, 1/3 cup of olive oil and 2 minced garlic cloves. Toss with 3/4 pound of hot, cooked pasta; season the dish to taste with salt and pepper.

Spicy Coleslaw: Add a little minced jalapeno to your favorite bottled dressing. Add a little grated carrot to shredded cabbage and toss with the dressing. Garnish the slaw with toasted sesame seeds and, if you like, a little pickled ginger.

Salsa, of course: Avocado and Tomato Salsa is one of my favorites. It combines the taste of guacamole with fresh tomato salsa.

Combine 2 cups of seeded and chopped tomatoes, 1 to 2 chopped ripe avocados, 1/3 cup of chopped cilantro, 1/3 cup of minced red onion, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, 1 minced jalapeno and salt to taste.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: SOME HANDY HINTS ON JALAPENOS Some tips for buying and handling jalapeno chilies: Buy chilies that are mature, dry, firm and heavy for their size. Look for shiny, smooth and unblemished skin. Store jalapenos in paper towels in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Don’t store them in plastic bags, as moisture will accumulate and the chilies will spoil. Be careful not to touch your eyes or face when working with fresh chilies. Wash your hands, knife and cutting board thoroughly when done. Some people are very sensitive to capsaicin and need to wear rubber gloves when working with fresh chilies. To remove seeds and veins and mince: Cut off the stem end of the jalapeno. Cut the jalapeno in half and, using the point of a small knife, remove and discard seeds and veins (do not use your fingernail). Cut the jalapeno into thin, lengthwise strips. Bundle the strips together and cut them crosswise into tiny pieces. Cathy Thomas Orange County Register