Home » Food & Drink » Spicy Cuisine » In the Spotlight: Canadian Chile-head's Spicy Recipes

In the Spotlight: Canadian Chile-head's Spicy Recipes

© Judy Howle

Doug Irvine is a seasoned Chile-head from British Columbia, Canada. He and his wife Marie love hot and spicy food and cook it nearly every night. Most of the recipes he creates himself or adapts from other sources.

Doug was born In Toronto Canada in 1926 and learned to cook after he left home when was 21. He got a job at a golf club in Toronto as a short order cook and went from there, but after that he cooked only as a hobby. He became seriously interested in hot and spicy food when spending winters In California and eating Mexican food on Olivera Street in LA in the late forties. Prior to that time, he had never had anything hotter than from the pepper shaker, as his mother only cooked "plain food"

Doug says, "I really do enjoy cooking. I do all the cooking, and my wife of 49 years, does all the baking, so between us we have a ball in the kitchen! I wIll try anything, and then adapt it to our taste, so my recipes are a mix of original plus Doug!"

Here are some of his piquantly pungent recipes.

CHICKEN VERDE
(recipe from old Mexican cookbook)

• 1 3 lb. (1-2 kilos) chicken, cut in serving pieces OR same amount ofwhatever pieces you like, legs, thighs, breast
• 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro (fresh coriander)
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 4 Anaheim long green chiles
• 4 Serranos, or to taste
• 1 can of tomatillos
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Brown the chicken pieces in hot oil or lard; remove from pan when brown...do in small batches, then set them aside...do not overcook! Combine the cilantro, onions, Anaheims, Serranos, garlic and the tomatillos in a blender or food processor, and whirl until well combined...just stem the peppers, not seed or skin them!

Taste and add salt and freshly ground pepper to your liking. Add a pinch of sugar, which will enhance the flavor. Place the browned chicken pieces in a heavy pot, and pour the mixture over them, and simmer for at least an hour, covered, then uncover and cook down, until chicken is tender...if too thin, thicken with a roux. This will improve the flavor.

CHICKEN WITH HOT CHILE PASTE
(Szechwan Chinese recipe)

• 8 Chinese dried black mushrooms
• 1 lb. boned chicken, dark or light meat
• 1 Tbsp. dry sherry
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. chile paste with garlic, or more, beware!
• 1/4 cup water or stock
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• 1 cup shredded bamboo shoots
• 2 Tbsp. shredded ginger root
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot
• 1 Tbsp. chopped Habanero(one whole chopped Habanero)

The copyright of the article In the Spotlight: Canadian Chile-head's Spicy Recipes in Spicy Cuisine is owned by . Permission to republish In the Spotlight: Canadian Chile-head's Spicy Recipes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.