Roasted Hot Peppers

How hot should a hot pepper be? According to me - very, very hot. 

There is the so called Scoville scale method, measuring the amount of the capsaicin - the chemical compound, which irritates our mucous membranes and wakes our pain receptors. 

It is said, the burning sensation, provided by capsaicin is addictive. According to the theory, the pain induced by eating chilies makes our brain produce endorphins, which create a temporary feeling of euphoria. Heart rate increases, metabolism increases, salvation increases - the whole body is involved.

This mild addiction makes me want to have hot peppers with every meal (even with the breakfast sandwich, I admit).

There are many hot peppers varieties in Bulgaria - a real treasure for the lovers of the hot taste. Roasted chilies are served in nearly every restaurant as an appetizer or a spicy addition to the main course. 

The taste of roasted hot peppers is softer than the fresh ones. Peppers for roasting should be fresh and crisp and for this recipe chilies should have soft skins, bearing in mind they are not peeled after roasting.

Chorizo with potatoes

This is a quick and easy Spanish dish which has the taste of Pimentón which blends so well with the garlic aroma and the potatoes. For more spicyness I usually sprinkle some hot fresh pepper slices above. Other tasty dishes with Chorizo I prepare often are Fried prawns with Chorizo and Pizza with Chorizo, prawns and Mozarella. 

Chorizo with Prawns - one of the best Spanish tapas

Prawns look a little bit scary watched from too close. 

Crazy eyes, large antennaes and especially - the large sharp rostrum, the part on top of their head which probably helps them to live better lifes, but has caused me a lot of pain while being not attentive during their preparation.  
But nevertheless, although looking scary and kind of ugly, prawns are healthy, low-calory food loaded with protein and containing nearly no fat. 
One of the first times I tasted prawns was about ten years ago when we went to a tapas bar and ordered Chorizo with Prawns. I still remember those tapas. The combination of the rather delicate taste of prawns and the bold, spicy and smoky flavour of Chorizo is hard to forget. And today we are going to talk a little bit more about this.