Three cookbooks for Chili-Heads

Good news everyone: Sriracha is back in business!

Hooray! Sriracha is back in business:
Photo Courtesy of trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com

For those of you who haven't been following this important story, the city of Irwindale began a lawsuit against Huy Fong Foods Factory (where Sriracha is produced) in October 2013. Their crime? Leaking noxious chili fumes into the air.

As ridiculous as it might seem, the judge determined that Irwindale's claim had some credence and he ordered for the plant to partially shut down.  Due to the large volume of posts on my Facebook feed, I immediately purchased six bottles in the event that Huy Fong Foods might be shut down forever. In retrospect, I'm not sure if this was too much or too little.

 In late December, the state of California ordered a 30 day shipping ban on Sriracha after which the company was allowed to ship the product again though they were still under a partial operation shut down.

The shipping ban was announced when I was going on a two week business trip with only carry-on luggage.  I underwent a panic when I realized that I might never have the opportunity to purchase Sriracha again. Thankfully, when I arrived home in early January my local grocery store was still in stock and I bought four more bottles.

After the partial shutdown, Huy Fong Foods was given time to work with air quality management, but by April of this year, the City Council of Irwindale voted that Huy Fong Foods Factory was a public nuissance and an offiicial trial was set for November of this year.

Thankfully, Huy Fong Foods was able to make air quality improvements, and the city council dropped its litigation on Wednesday! After the announcement, Chili-Heads everywhere rejoiced! Meanwhile, I will be actively working on "burning" down my Sriracha inventory.

Just because you haven't been following the news, you might still be a chili-head and in need of a few cookbook recommendations. If you don't know if you are a chili head or a Sriracha addict, take this quiz from the Oatmeal, and if the results are positive keep reading.

The pages of the following cookbooks are peppered with great recipes and photography, and I'm sure you will experience a burning desire to consume everything in them.  What can I say? These books are Hot!

Three cookbooks for Chili-Heads

The Sriracha Cookbook: 50 "Rooster Sauce" Recipes that Pack a Punch

The Srircha Cookbook by Randy Clemens:
Photo via Silverinthecity.com

This cookbook has a few elementary recipes for Sriracha lovers who can barely find their way to a can opener (Sriracha+Mayo or Sriracha+Ranch Dressing anyone), but avowed chili-lover and author Randy Clemens also has some serious culinary chops.

His spicy party nuts and five alarm lentil soup are two examples of recipes that I've made before but the addition of Sriracha was a game changer for me. Game changing in a good way; the added heat added flavor but it didn't burn off my tastebuds.

For serious Sriracha lovers, he even has close to half a dozen COCKtail or desert recipes.  Peach-Sriracha Sorbet... yes please!

Melissa's The Great Pepper Cookbook: The ultimate guide to choosing and cooking with peppers

The Great Pepper Cookbook
Photo Courtesy of LAweekly.com

From their introduction of the Scoville Scale, to tips and tricks for preparing seriously hot peppers (get out of the way Habaneros, the Scoprian Chile is the real king of heat), this cookbook has everything that a serious Chili-Head needs to navigate a heat map. If you want basic instructions of roasting, grilling, drying and re-hydrating peppers then look no further.

The folks at Melissa's Produce (author of the book) have a tremendous respect for the different flavor dimensions of various peppers, so they aren't always trying to kill you with the heat. Instead, this cookbook gives you a wide range of recipes to infuse with your favorite chilis.

Love chocolate cake? Why not chipotle chocolate cake? Aguas frescas? What about Chile-Berry aguas frescas? In addition to the expected salsas and standard Central and South American fare, this cookbook infuses down-home classics like Mac and Cheese, Butternut Squash Soup, and Barbacoa with delicious, peppery goodness.

Beautiful Scorpian Chiles!
Photo Courtesy of Kent Rayhill Adoboloco.com

1,001 Best Hot and Spicy Recipes

1,001 Best Hot and Spicy Recipes

Chili-Heads who are on a culinary mission need not look any further than 1,001 Best Hot and Spicy Recipes.  The New York Times called author, Dave DeWitt, "The Pope of Peppers", and his expertise shines through in this tome.

With over 900 pages of recipes, this cookbook runs the gamut of breakfast, to cocktails, to barbecue and salads. DeWitt helps the reader understand the region of origin, and his brief introductions help the reader to understand the dish even before you make it.  By the time you are done reading his 3-4 sentence introduction, you feel an old familiarity with the dish even if you've never made it before.

Whether you want Indian chutney, Thai curry, Mexican Fajitas, or Southern Barbecue, 1,001 Best Hot and Spicy Recipes is a culinary tour de force that brings the perfect amount of heat to every recipe.