Scotch Bonnet, Unleashed

I complained a while ago that the Scotch Bonnet chilli I used one day wasn't really that spicy. Well, tonight I learnt how to unleash their power.

The trick is that the part of the chilli where more capsaicin can be found is the placenta to which seeds are attached (the seeds themselves do not contain capsaicin). I trimmed the first chilli and used only the "fillets" (fruit wall): that's why it was just mild.

Following suggestions I found on the internet, tonight the first thing I did was to lightly roast the chillies - simply on the open flame of a kitchen gas fire. The juices released with cooking spread capsaicin around from the placenta. I began chopping the chillies and garlic with gloved hands, and fortunately I had the idea of tasting the juice left on the chopboard: it was scorching. So I used only one and half Scotch Bonnet for my stew, and it was about perfect - hot yes, but not nucular. The remaining chilli is now frozen for future use...

And while eating my dinner in front of TV, I saw something really surprising: Parma has also its own American football team. I knew we had rugby and baseball teams, but American football? I'd never have thought.