The first time I handled a Habanero pepper became my last time. I knew I had to be careful using it because of its excessive number of Scoville units and the potential for not only burning my eyes, but my skin as well. I gingerly washed it and then sliced the sides after cutting off the top. I dared not remove the seeds from it for fear of the damage it might do to me. Fortunately for me, I was merely infusing the Habanero flavor into vodka, so all I had to do was place it into the bottle and toss it after 30 - 45 minutes. Since I had forced the Habanero into the bottle with a chopstick I would not be able to retrieve it. After the infusion I drained the vodka from the bottle and tossed the bottle into the garbage can. Not so bad, I had thought, until disposing of another Habanero that hadn't been used. It went down the garbage disposal, and when I turned it on the entire kitchen seemed like a chemical war zone. I started coughing and my eyes burned from the fumes. I vowed never again to use a Habanero in cooking, even though I did enjoy its fruity heat.
Delight struck me as I looked at the Sciabica Olive Oil website recently and discovered that they had added a new flavor to their fine line of extra virgin olive oils. It was Habanero! On my very next trip to Ferry Plaza I bought a small bottle and tried it as soon as I returned home. Knowing that the heat would be too strong for me, I cut it with an unflavored olive oil and it was perfect. The heat will sneak up on you and catch you in the back of the throat much more intensely than a fine Tuscan olive oil, but it is wonderful. If you like intense heat drizzle this straight onto your food, but if you're a tenderfoot (or mouth) then tame the heat with a 5 to 1 ratio of unflavored olive oil. What a great way to avoid using a fresh pepper, but still getting the fresh flavor and heat.
http://www.sciabica.com/magento/
