Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

The introduction of bhut jolokia to the USA was pretty much the biggest thing that happened to me in 2007. Granted, I edit Chile Pepper Magazine, and super-hot foods are my beat, and my love.

For me, the best thing about bhut jolokia (aka naga jolokia, aka ghost chile) is that you can get a dish to an extreme level of heat without sacrificing flavor. I am not a fan of pure capsaicin extract, which is used to give some XXX sauces their killer bite -- to me it tastes bad and overwhelms anything it touches. The same amount of fresh, dried or powdered bhut adds intense heat, but also contributes a wallop of flavor.

If you're looking to try bhut jolokia and don't want to grow it yourself or cook with it, I heartily suggest the Jolokia product line from Cajohn's. Their salsa, hot sauce, sausage (!) and many other products have intense, pure pepper flavor and mind-boggling heat. Check out our post on this and other salsas:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/09/-spicy-thrillseekers-have-been.html

and our article on growing jolokia in your garden:
http://chilepepper.com/html/archive/march_08/Pepper_Patch.pdf

and this great piece by one of our former editors who now writes for the Village Voice:
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/archives/2008/08/the_hottest_sal.php

Viva bhut jolokia!

Ha! Only YOU can prevent bad barbecue!
Thanks, Smokey!

I find Concord grapes challenging to eat -- the skins are very tough and tend to stick in my throat, and the flesh really clings to the large seeds. They make wonderful juice, though -- I put them in the blender with cold water (1 cup stemmed grapes to 1 cup water), add a dash of simple syrup, honey or agave nectar, and buzz until blended. (Be careful not to blend too much or you'll break up the seeds, which are bitter.) Strain, and drink -- tastes like Welch's but fresher. I also like to add a handful of frozen strawberries to the strained grape juice and re-blend.

Rutabagas -- we make a mix of 1/2 mashed potato, 1/2 mashed rutabaga for Thanksgiving and always say "we should have this more often" and never do.

Another good one: A Taste of Jackson Heights. Saturday, September 12, 12-4pm
www.jhfff.org/taste.html