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Jerry JimОnez is a contented man. You can see it in his serene
smile and hear it in his calm, rich voice that carries just an intriguing
hint of accent. Maybe it’s because of his loving family. Maybe
it’s because of his home on 17 acres in the hills of southern
Illinois, with beautiful panoramic views in all directions. Maybe —
at least partially — it’s because of the endorphins he gets
from eating all those darn hot peppers. Endorphins are polypeptides produced by the pituitary
gland and hypothalamus in vertebrates, including human beings. They produce
a sense of well-being and exert analgesic effects; in other words,
they’re the body’s natural painkillers, counterbalances to
pain, danger, or hard exercise. Endorphin production is also stimulated by
capsaicin, the active chemical in hot chile peppers. These days JimОnez and his wife, Carol, are
finding delicious ways for people to enjoy the benefits of endorphins
through their enterprise Darn Hot Peppers. Chile peppers have always played an important part in
JimОnez’s life, though it’s only recently that
they’ve become a business. One of 11 children, JimОnez was born
in a small town near Corpus Christi, Texas. Growing up, he worked in
cotton, carrot, and cucumber fields with his parents and siblings before
attending college in Oklahoma, where he met Carol. After graduating with a
degree in history/sociology and a stint in the Army, he moved to Illinois
to begin a career in the Illinois Division of Rehabilitation Services.
Illinois was familiar territory: JimОnez worked summers during
college in Belvedere for the Green Giant food company. Initially he worked in northern Illinois, and Carol
taught foreign languages in Rockford. For the last three-and-a-half years
of his career, however, he was based in Springfield as assistant bureau
chief. Responsible for monitoring all of southern Illinois, he grew to love
the area, gaining an appreciation of the needs of its rural and migrant
population and becoming an advocate for more and better state services for
the disabled in such out-of-the-way-places. All through those years, JimОnez grew chiles
for his family, and chiles played an important role in the food they ate. A
year after he and Carol retired to their Rancho Bella Vista
(“beautiful view ranch”), just outside Cobden, they really got
the chile bug. JimОnez tilled two acres and planted it all in chiles:
jalapeЦos, arbols, guajillos, habaneros, pequТns, and more. That was four years ago. The soil and climate of
southern Illinois proved ideal for chiles, and the JimОnezes found
themselves with far more fresh peppers than they could possibly sell or eat
themselves. The next year, they decided to turn their love for chiles into
a business, and Darn Hot Peppers was born. The couple built a small retail
store/commercial kitchen at Rancho Bella Vista. In addition to selling
fresh chiles in season they began producing scrumptious jarred salsas in
different flavors and varying degrees of hotness, plus dried peppers and
seasonings. Their most innovative products are hot-pepper jams and jellies:
Apricot Ambrosia (with habaneros), Orange JalapeЦo Jam,
JalapeЦo Lemon Jelly, and Habanero Honey Spread. Unfortunately,
customers will have to wait until next year to try the
JimОnezes’ Mulberry Magic; this year’s late-spring freeze
destroyed the mulberry crop. Earlier this month, Darn Hot Peppers held its
inaugural PepperFest. Bluegrass, Tex-Mex, and other music filled the air,
which was scented by the beef brisket being prepared by one of
JimОnez’s brothers, who’d come up from Texas especially
for the occasion. Talking to the JimenОzes and their friends and
family, eating their delicious food (especially that brisket), and seeing
their beautiful place makes it easy to understand their sense of
contentment — and their excitement about what the future holds.
Jerry JimОnez sells Darn Hot Pepper products at
the Springfield’s farmers’ market most Wednesdays and
Saturdays. (The market will run until the end of October.) Darn Hot Pepper
products may also be obtained at the JimОnezes’ retail store,
827 Vines Rd. in Cobden or ordered online at www.darnhotpeppers.com. For
more information, call 618-893-1443 or e-mail
customerservice@darnhotpeppers.com.
Send questions and
comments to Julianne Glatz at realcuisine@insightbb.com.
HabaЦeros are one of the hottest chiles and
have a unique flavor. This recipe provides the merest touch of their heat
and is equally delicious when using smoked pork chops.
Grilled Marinated Pork Chops with Habanero Cherry
Sauce Adapted from a recipe on the Darn Hot Peppers Web
site
Pork: 1/4 cup dark-brown sugar 1/4 cup Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons soy sauce Six center-cut pork loin chops, 1 to 1 1/2 inches
thick
Sauce 10 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, divided
(It’s very important
to use unsalted butter — not
because of the salt, per se, but because of the purity of the butter) One finely chopped peeled carrot One finely chopped celery stalk 3/4 cup finely chopped onion, not supersweet 1 tablespoon minced shallots or additional onion 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, optional 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, or one teaspoon dried
thyme leaves (not ground) One bay leaf 3/4 cup port wine 1 pound stemmed, pitted sweet cherries such as Bing,
fresh or frozen One stemmed, seeded, and minced habanero chile (use
plastic gloves when handling) 3 cups pork or chicken stock, unsalted or low-sodium Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Combine the brown sugar, mustard, and soy sauce until
the sugar dissolves. Spread all over the chops and refrigerate, covered,
for at least four hours and as long as overnight. Remove from the
refrigerator at least one hour before grilling to allow the meat to come to
room temperature. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a nonreactive pan.
Cut remaining butter into bits and keep cold. SautО the carrot, celery, onion, ginger, thyme,
shallots, garlic, ginger (if using), and bay leaf in the pan until the
vegetables are softened and the onion turns golden. Add the port and stock,
bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and cook, covered,
for 30 minutes. If a smoother sauce is desired, strain the liquid
through a sieve, pressing down to extract as much liquid as possible and
discarding the solids; return the sauce to the pan.
Add the cherries and habanero to the pan, return it
to a simmer, and cook until the liquid has reduced to about half and coats
a spoon, 30 minutes or more. (It may be prepared ahead of time to this
point.) While the sauce is reducing, wipe the excess marinade
from the chops and grill them to the desired degree of doneness. Cover and
place in an oven set on the lowest setting until ready to serve. When the sauce has been reduced, remove it from the
heat. If it’s not been strained, remove the bay leaf. Whisk in the
butter, a few cubes at a time, until it has all been incorporated. Season
to taste with salt and pepper. Place the chops on heated serving plates and
divide the sauce among them. Serve immediately. This also works well with smoked pork chops, and the
sauce would be excellent with ham.
This article appears in Sep 6-12, 2007.
