Drinking Ghost Face Killah, the world’s hottest beer

I’m a fan of spicy foods and beer. So in January when I heard the world’s spiciest beer, Twisted Pine’s Ghost Face Killah, was being released in Florida, I knew I had to try it. And I alerted every other spice- and beer-loving person I knew.

After weekly stops to my beer store, I finally found it (or, fellow searchers Sharon alerted me it was in stock) so I picked it up right away. I knew there would be limited bottles and other beer thrill-seekers were again anticipating its arrival, so I snatched a few off the shelves, happy to finally have it in my hands.

When I got home I put one in the back of my fridge where it’s extra cold, as Bill was ready to drink it right away. A few hours later we pulled it out and popped it open. (Disclosure: Bill and I split a bottle if it was too hot.)

The beer has six pepper: the Anaheim, Fresno, jalapeno, serrano, habanero and Bhut Jolokia (the Ghost Pepper). Right away I caught a strong whiff of smokiness. I poured it into two glasses and noticed how light the beer is, surprised to learn it’s a wheat beer (which probably really balances the strong peppers). I took a drink, nervous it would burn going down, but I was surprised it was really flavorful and not too hot. I even swirled the first sip around to get all the flavor. This isn’t to say I didn’t feel a nice burn in my mouth (but, surprisingly, not on my lips). I ate a few crackers while drinking the (half of a) beer. I was pleasantly surprised the beer had so much flavor and didn’t just rely on the heat and weirdness factor to get people to drink it. We liked it so much, we grabbed a few more bottles in case they don’t last long!

Milder beers to start you off

If you want to dip your toes into the chili beer pool before trying Ghost Face Killah, the same company makes a milder beer, Billy’s Chillies, but I would suggest the Cave Creek Chili Beer.

Other chili beers I want to try

I noticed a few other chili beers that caught my eye. Not trying to be the strongest, many have chocolate and even cinnamon in them, which I could see really playing off one another and providing great flavors. Some I’m going to be on the lookout for include Cocoa Mole by New Belgium Brewing and Dogfish Head’s Theobroma.

Would you drink this beer? If you have tried it, what did you think?

Fat Tuesday: Muffaletta and Abita

Veggie muffaletta at Central Grocery

In October I went to New Orleans and had some amaaaazing food and drinks. I loved everything I had, but one that stuck out was the vegetarian muffaletta from Central Grocery, the birthplace of this New Orleans specialty. I could not stop thinking about this salty, crunchy sandwich. Upon returning home and craving the sandwich, I figured I could replicate it pretty darn close.

I got all the key components to the sandwich in order and piled them in order. I closed my eyes, took a bite and really believed I was back in that beautiful, magical city with my husband and friends, sittings on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Since it’s Fat Tuesday, I thought I would share my rendition of this great Crescent City classic.

Components

Giardiniera

I’ll start with giardiniera because it takes  three to seven (or more) days to prepare.  Giardiniera is a variety pickled vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, celery and peppers) in oil and vinegar and seasonings. You can by it in the store, but everything I’ve seen is a brown-green mushy mess, and it’s so darn easy and tasty to make your own (and you can control the salt, seasonings, peppers and crunchiness).  I used this giardiniera recipe from the New York Times, and it worked perfectly. I let the veggies meld for four or five days and it was perfect. It makes 2 quarts, but it goes fast and is great on sandwiches, salads and on its own.

Olives

I used a mix of green and kalamata olives, but any mix you like will work. Slice ‘em up.

Bread

The exact New Orleans muffaletta bread can be hard to find, I was warned on websites. Similar to focaccia bread, but less dense, it is a large round loaf (almost 12 inches), with sesame seeds on top. I found some recipes to make a similar bread, but decided on a really nice and fresh sesame roll at my local Italian market that is the perfect single-sandwich size.

Cheese

The key is to use not too hard or too soft a cheese. Provolone is a must and you can go from there, either a Swiss or mozzarella cheese. If you want to add meat or have an (ahem) spouse who would, the meats are salami and capicola, or ham.

My take on the muffaletta with sweet potato chips and an Abita Turbodog

ASSEMBLY

Slice the bread in half. On the bottom half place the cheese (and meat, if using). This sandwich isn’t a time to count calories or be stingy. Get a nice, hearty layer of cheese going. On the top half put a thick layer of olive spread. On top of that put the giardiniera, making sure to get a variety of veggies and seasonings. Give the top half a few minutes to let the oils soak into the bread. Carefully put the two halves together, squish down a little to let everything mingle, and eat. So. Darn. Good. I paired my muffaletta with sweet potato chips and a great New Orleans beer, an Abita Turbodog.

Miniature Mexican Frittatas

I found this recipe in a cookbook I’ve had forever, but had never made it. It looked fun, easy and good, full of protein and calcium.

It’s small, so you can have three and make it a main dish or have one with bread or fruit and make it a part of a bigger meal. And since there is cottage cheese, the dish isn’t too heavy on eggs, which I liked.

It’s cute, easy and tasty, and will be a part of my egg-dish rotation.

Ingredients

• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
• 1 cup cottage cheese, drained
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 (2 ounces) cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons snipped cilantro or 2 tablespoons parsley
• salsa, warmed
• sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl combine the spinach, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese.
2. In another bowl stir together the eggs, milk, cumin and pepper.
3. Stir into spinach mixture.
4. Stir in the cilantro or parsley.
5. Spoon mixture into 12 lightly greased 2 1/2 inch muffin cups.
6. Bake uncovered at 375° for 20 to 25 minutes or till eggs are set.
7. Let stand 5 minutes.
8. Remove from muffin cups.
9. Serve with salsa and, if desired, sour cream.

Sweet pepper relish

I’ve been slacking on making condiments, but one I love and wanted to make at home is pepper relish. Living in South Florida, I have access to peppers of many colors and levels of sweetness or heat.

I used bell peppers, but once they get with the sugar and spices, this becomes a sweet relish that is a different take on pickle relish. This recipe is adapted from a few different recipes found online (something I often do to make it my own and customize it to my liking).

Pepper relish

Ingredients

• 3 cups mixed peppers, diced
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 3/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 teaspoon celery seed

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a pan on the stove over medium-low heat. Allow to simmer 5 minutes.
2. Once cool, put it in an airtight container.
3. Let it sit in the refrigerator for a few days to develop flavor. Goes great on burgers and sandwiches.

Layered Mediterranean dip

Being a journalist, I had to work on Super Bowl Sunday. I am not a fan of professional football, but I am a fan of snack food for dinner (and the Puppy Bowl! Did you watch?!?!). And there is no time like the Super Bowl for everyone to break out their favorite snack food and gather round. So we organized a potluck at work.

As I’ve mentioned, I’m known as a huge fan of chickpeas and always bring something chickpea-based (usually a salad) to the potlucks. But since we weren’t having a sit-down meal this time, I thought I would make the hummus-based Eight-layer Mediterranean dip. This would be a perfect healthy addition of easy-to-eat food. And I love all the flavors.

I wasn’t sure what my co-workers would think (with that many layers there is bound to be something that would turn many people away) and how much to make (I doubled the recipe to make enough for the number of people working) and my dip was gone less than 40 minutes after I set it out. Which means it was a huge success and/or I did not make nearly enough. But taking home an empty dish is always a great thing!

I kept the onions out because I didn’t want it to smell, but even mild red onions would work.
Other than that, it looked awesome, was fun to make and was delicious. I will be making this again soon — especially if you invite me to your next party.

Eight-layer Mediterranean dip

Serves 8

Spread an 8-ounce container of hummus evenly on the bottom of and 8-inch square dish.

Scatter 1 cup firmly packed baby spinach, roughly chopped, over the top and press down lightly.

Arrange 1 cup thinly sliced roasted red peppers over the top.

Arrange a 6-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped, over the top.

Drop in dollops 1 cup plain Greek yogurt over the artichoke hearts. Spread the yogurt around to make an even layer.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup sliced pitted black olives and 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (I left this part off) over the top.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese over the top. Serve with pita chips. Get it fast, because it won’t last long.

What was your favorite Super Bowl food?