Welcome to Scoville

It all began with Ed's Cave Creek Chili Beer. Basically, take Corona and substitute a serrano chile for the lime. And let that chile sit in the beer for a very long, long time. The result is an experience apart from all other beers. Put simply, one drinks Chili beer not so much for the beer, but for the burn.  That is how my love for chile beers began. 

Over time, that love evolved. It was not so much about the burn anymore. I stopped drinking the Cave Creek beer, partly because it became harder to find, but partly because I was introduced to a whole different kind of chile beers ... mole stouts. (Check out the beer review page to see the different stouts that I have reviewed to this date.)  I found that the use of chiles (most commonly ancho chiles), along with other spices, produced a beer that was far more enjoyable than one that simply scorched the insides going down. It seemed as if those would be the only chile beers that would catch my attention. 

Until I came across Jailbreak Brewing's Welcome to Scoville. An India Pale Ale brewed with jalapeno peppers, Jailbreak's offering is what a chile beer should be. The pepper is present, but it is rounded out with the hops and a slightly more elevated malt profile. 

The Welcome to Scoville pours a standard IPA golden color, although it has a slight hazy appearance and offers a decent foam at the top. The aroma of the beer gives some not-so-subtle hints of the pepper, but once one takes a sip, that is where this beer sets itself apart from other "chile beers." 

One can definitely taste the jalapeno pepper, as well as feel the burn, but it is really no more than if one ate a sliced and seeded jalapeno pepper. Not only can one taste that pepper, but they could also make out the hop notes, such as a slight bitterness, as well as the malt in the background. These elements make this beer the most rounded chile beer (excluding mole stouts, which probably still represent my favorite style of chile beers), that I have had the opportunity to drink. 

This beer is available at Jailbreak's brewpub, where I found it for about $13.99 per six pack (if I recall correctly). I have seen it in stores where Jailbreak beers are distributed, but it is not as common as the brewery's other offerings. Until next time ...

PEACE.

Blistered Shishito Peppers with Gomasio

While I was strolling through a local supermarket, I came across a bag of shishito peppers. These small green peppers are a Japanese ingredient, as "shishito" translates into "lion's head" in Japanese. I have previously used these peppers in my cooking (you can check it out here). They are a quintessential simple ingredient. All you need to do is roast them or saute them, and they are a tasty snack. (They are also a game, as most - but not all - of the peppers are usually mild; however, every once in a while, there will be a spicy one in the bunch.)

It seems somewhat obvious that a simple ingredient should be paired with another simple one. And, I had just the ingredient in mind ... gomasio. For those who may follow this blog, gomasio is a Japanese condiment that consists of two ingredients: toasted sesame seeds and salt. I had recently made the recipe and had a nice supply in the kitchen. All I needed was a recipe that uses the Japanese spice mix with shishito peppers. (Actually, given the simplicity of what I was about to do, a recipe is not really required.) 

Nevertheless, I found a recipe that combined shishito peppers and gomasio, along with a couple of other ingredients, namely lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt. Five total ingredients produced a simple dish. Yet, this dish could be served as an appetizer or small plate. A simple tapa or meze (or pintxos if it had a toothpick skewered through it). 

Making a simple recipe every once in a while provides a nice balance to the many more complicated recipes that are still vying for my limited time and, if they get made, working their way through the post-writing queue. It also does somthing more. I often joke about how one could measure my level of stress by the dishes I make. The more complicated the dish, the higher level of stress. Yet, making a series of small dishes is perhaps a better way of dealing with stress, as the success of each dish builds upon the next one, helping to keep my focus off of what stresses me and helping to feel more accomplished. I need to keep this in the back of my mind more often, especially during these times. 

BLISTERED SHISHITO PEPPERS WITH GOMASIO

Recipe from Bits of Wellness

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 cups of shishito peppers

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lemon juiced

1 tablespoon Gomasio

Flaky sea salt

Directions:

Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet or other heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook peppers, turning occasionally, until they begin to blister on all sides. Remove from heat and squeeze the lemon over the peppers. Plate the peppers and sprinkle with Gomasio. Serve immediately. 

PEACE.