Pineapple, Pork and Vegetable Kebabs

I've lately been trying to use some of what we have in our freezers, so as to not let them be claimed by freezer burn (and thus go to waste) and also to clear up space for other things.   I recalled that awhile back I'd  purchased a huge, whole pork loin roast and had it cut into smaller segments for freezing.  I still had one big piece of that roast left, and I definitely didn't want to let that go to waste.   As usual this time of year, when thinking about what to do with a hunk of meat, my default answer this time around was "grilling."   And so I decided I'd cut up the roast and make kebabs.

Grilling chunks of pork on their own wouldn't result in something very flavorful, I knew, and this was especially the case with a super-lean cut like a pork loin roast.   Typical kebab recipes and traditions offered some good ideas how to boost the flavor of the meat, though.  Marinades and rubs of some sort are commonly used to give meat kebabs flavor, and cooking the pieces of meat along with something else flavorful is a basic kebab technique.   The key is to pick something to pair with the kebab meat that won't end up being burnt to an indelibly crisp or mushy mess before the meat is done.   Small onions or chunks of onion are one common pairing with kebab meat, but neither Juli nor I particularly enjoys eating big chunks of onion, grilled or otherwise.  Considering other options, I remembered a classic partner to pork:  Pineapple.  That gave me ideas for the marinade as well:  I'd go with tropical and Asian seasonings.

Since I was going to be grilling anyhow, I decided I might as well cook as much of the meal as I could on the grill, so I considered vegetable options that I could cook while cooking the pork and pineapple kebabs.  Tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini all grill up nicely and all take around the same time to grill (though one has to be careful the tomatoes don't overcook).  Better yet, since they all cook pretty quickly on a hot grill, I'd be able to cook them with indirect heat while I cooked the pork and pineapple over direct heat. 

With that all figured out, I made up a marinade for the pork, let it sit for a bit, then put everything on skewers.   The pork and pineapple went together on one set of skewers.  Marinated meat and juicy, fresh pineapple chunks are moist enough to grill without additional protection, and plenty flavorful on their own, so I just had to thread those on the skewers together.   The tender vegetables would be more prone to burning, though, even if I only cooked them with indirect heat, so they got a quick brushing with olive oil, plus a bit of pepper and kosher salt for seasoning.   That done, everything was ready for the grill.

The kebabs turned out great.  The meat and pineapple bore nice grill marks and just the right amount of browning, while the vegetables were tender without being mushy.  The only difficulty I ran into was that I didn't have quite enough metal skewers for everything, so I had to use some wooden skewers for some of the pork and pineapple, and even after soaking them, the wooden skewers didn't hold up well to the direct heat of the grill. Everything came out fine, though, and served together, it all tasted great.

Pineapple, Pork and Vegetable Kebabs

yield = 4-5 servings

2 1/2        pounds pork loin roast, cut into one-inch cubes
1              tablespoon rice wine
1              tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1              tablespoon pineapple juice
1              teaspoon minced garlic
1              teaspoon fresh, peeled and grated ginger
1/2           teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1              whole fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into inch-thick chunks
1              large zucchini, cut into one-inch chunks
1              pound button mushrooms, woody lower stems removed
2              pints plum or large cherry tomatoes
1              tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
                kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Combine pork, rice wine, soy sauce, pineapple juice, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in a large zipper-lock plastic bag.  Shake to thoroughly mix, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Thread the marinated pork pieces onto skewers, alternating with chunks of pineapple.  Arrange on a baking sheet.

Thread the zucchini chunks, mushrooms and tomatoes on skewers.  Brush on all sides with olive oil and sprinkle generously with kosher salt and black pepper.  Arrange on a separate baking sheet.

Prepare the grill for direct and indirect cooking with medium-high heat by spreading the coals evenly over half of the grill.  Cook in batches, arranging the pork and pineapple skewers over the coals (direct heat) and the vegetable skewers on the cooler side of the grill (indirect heat).   Cook, turning every couple minutes, until the meat and pineapple skewers are lightly browned on all sides and the vegetables have developed modest grill marks and are tender (about 10 minutes).  

Cover cooked skewers with foil and continue until everything is cooked, then serve.

EASY Easter Dinner

Sometimes less-experienced cooks get in a panic over pulling off a big holiday dinner.  Those of us who have done it more than a time or two know that the cooking isn't the problem.  It's the cleaning!  I can't help you with that, but I thought I'd share a quick synopsis of what we're cooking for Easter this year.  It's easy, but still very festive.  We do pretty much the same menu every year, and that helps to simplify the planning. 

Having a simple menu is essential when you work on Easter Sunday. Don't get me wrong- Easter is a joyous, uplifting celebration. And it Wipes. Me. Out!  I definitely don't want to spend all day in the kitchen on Easter after I've spent the morning playing church services and directing several choirs.

 We'll be making our usual potato casserole (you might remember it from Christmas dinner 2010).  It has to be prepped the night before, which helps in meal preparation on the holiday. After the ham has baked about 45 minutes, we'll start assembling the pineapple side dish.

It takes about ten minutes tops to mix up the pineapple custard. 

Pineapple Custard *
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugarSo here's the plan.  First of all, we opt for a spiral-sliced ham.  The one I bought weighs 8 1/2 pounds, and it will need to cook around 15 minutes per pound.  So- about two hours and fifteen minutes of time, but very little effort.  We got one with a brown sugar glaze this year.

4 beaten eggs

1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 20-ounce cans crushed pineapple, undrained

3 tablespoons of butter

dusting of ground cinnamon

In a glass 8 x 8 baking dish, mix together the cornstarch and sugar.  Add the eggs, water, and vanilla.  Add the crushed pineapple, juice and all, and stir well.  Slice the 3 tablespoons of butter into about 5 pats and dot the pineapple mixture with them- don't mix in.  Dust lightly with a ground cinnamon.


 

Bake uncovered for one hour and fifteen minutes at 350 degrees.

Next, we'll get our potato casserole into the oven (it has to be prepped the night before the holiday).  It cooks for 45 minutes to an hour.  The oven will be crowded but everything should fit.

Overnight Cheesy Potato Casserole-start the night before!

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

1 teaspoon  minced garlic

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper

2 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese

2 pound package Mr. Dell's frozen shredded hash browns

1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, melted

1 cup crushed cornflakes

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1.  In a large mixing bowl, combine sour cream, garlic, cream of mushroom soup, salt, and pepper.  Set aside.

2.  Melt 1 stick of butter, set aside.

3.  Arrange half the package of hash  browns in a large rectangular baking dish.  Pour half the melted butter over them.  Pour half the sour cream mixture over them.  Top with half the sharp cheddar cheese.  Repeat with the remaining potatoes, butter, sour cream mixture, and cheddar cheese.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

4.  Just before baking, sprinkle the crushed cornflakes over the top of the casserole and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of melted butter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

An easy way to get crushed cornflakes:  Measure out about four times the crushed volume desired into a large sealable plastic storage bag.  Crush the cornflakes with a rolling pin- make sure the bag has been sealed tight first!

When the hot dishes are about 20 minutes from being done, you can prepare a fresh vegetable of your choice on the stove top.  We like asparagus or broccoli to add some color to our plates, or a mix of broccoli and carrots is great, too.  When the ham has finished cooking, remove it from the oven and let it "rest".  Same with the other two hot dishes, as everything should be done at about the same time.  If you're worried that they'll get overly cold sitting on the counter top for 10 minutes, cover with aluminum foil.  Now you can crank the heat up on the oven and cook either brown and serve rolls or a good frozen roll (we like Sister Schubert's dinner rolls from the freezer section of the grocery).

If you want dessert, I'd recommend making one of your choice the day before the holiday.  We don't usually have one, because the pineapple custard is sweet enough to double as a dessert of sorts.

There you go.  Easter dinner is served!

*Pineapple Custard was published previously, but I've doubled it and clarified the directions from the first time I posted the recipe.

Spicy Pineapple-Pork Stir-Fry

Like I've said before, I like to combine fruit flavors with meat, especially poultry and pork.   I've recently been experimenting with lime, but a few nights ago, I decided to try something combining pork and pineapple.

After considering various options, I decided to make a stir-fry with pork, chunks of pineapple and (for color and to make a more complete meal) snow peas, and to use pineapple juice as the foundation of a flavorful sauce.   Rather than try to design a dish in the style of any particular cuisine, I decided to just go free-form, so I could focus on selecting ingredients that would go along well with pineapple and pork.  Some were a given - ginger and tamari sauce, for example - but as I considered options, I decided I wanted to use a mix of savory, sour and salty flavors to balance out the sweetness of the pineapple.  I also decided to give the dish a bit of heat, courtesy of some Asian hot chili oil and some sweet chili sauce.  All that remained was to round out the flavors a bit, which I did with Chinese five-spice powder (to add some depth to the sauce) and some shallots.

I'm not sure what else to say about this one, other than that it blew us both away.   As I designed the recipe, I expected it would be pretty good, but the delightful scents hinted from pretty early on that this was going to be more than just "pretty good."  The pork smelled wonderful as I browned it in tamari and the hot chili oil, and the pineapple smelled even better as it cooked.   Toward the end, the scent of ginger mingling with the chili sauce and five-spice powder were literally mouthwatering, but none of that really prepared us for how good the first bite would be.

My original recipes aren't always a home run, but this time I knocked it out of the park.   Try it and see.

Spicy Pineapple-Pork Stir-Fry

yield = 4 servings

1 1/2      pounds pork loin, sliced thin and against the grain
2            teaspoons tamari (or regular soy sauce)
1/2         teaspoon Asian hot chili oil
3            tablespoons peanut oil
1/4         cup sweet chili sauce
2            teaspoons cornstarch
1            teaspoon lemon juice
3/4         teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1/4         teaspoon table salt
12          ounces fresh snow peas, trimmed
1            can (20 ounce) pineapple chunks in juice,
              drained and juice reserved
1            shallot, peeled and minced
2            teaspoons minced garlic
1            tablespoon grated, fresh ginger

Toss the pork slices with tamari and hot chili oil.   Heat two tablespoons peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until smoking, then add the pork.   Allow the pork to brown on one side, then stir and continue to cook until most of the pork is lightly browned on both sides.  Transfer pork to a clean bowl and set aside.

While the pork is browning, stir together the reserved pineapple juice, sweet chili sauce, cornstarch, lemon juice, five-spice powder and salt in a small bowl, then set aside.

Add the last tablespoon of peanut oil to the same skillet.  Add the snow peas and pineapple chunks and stir-fry until the snow peas and pineapple pieces have started to brown. 

Clear a spot in the center of the skillet and add the shallot and garlic.  Cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add the ginger, stir everything together and cook 1 minute.   Return the pork to the skillet, stirring to mix it in.

Add the pineapple juice mixture to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until it thickens and coats the pork and vegetables (about 1 minute).  Serve with rice. 


Note: 
The easiest-to-find example of Asian hot chili oil is probably also the best on the market:  House of Tsang's Mongolian Fire Oil.  It's as good as, or better than, any version you'll find in an Asian grocery, but a lot easier to find, as it is stocked by most major supermarket chains in the US. 

By thoroughly draining the canned pineapple, you should get about one cup of pineapple juice, which is what you need for the sauce.  If you don't get that much pineapple juice from the canned pineapple, add enough pineapple juice to bring the amount to one cup.

The Long Cold Winter Blues

This time of year is plain depressing.  Right around Valentine's Day seems to be my breaking point, when I am fed up with winter and ready to move into the next season.  Alas, this is Iowa, and that's not very likely to be happening.

This slushy fruit concoction helps, though.  It's tart, and tangy, and practically made of liquid sunshine. 

This is one of those lost-chord recipes. I knew I wanted to make it, I knew I'd made it before - but do you think I could find the recipe anywhere?  Nope.  So I had to recreate it from memory.  Feel free to change up the fruits to suit your own preferences. 

My first attempt ended up too tart (almost an "Oops" post!), so we ate the fruit with Splenda on top this morning.  Jeffrey laughed at how I squinched my face up to eat the too-sour-for-me fruit!  Later, I thawed what was left, added quite a bit more Splenda to taste, and refroze.  I try not to get too worked up when things don't work out right the first time.  Most cooking mistakes are fixable, as long as you don't let the Perfectionist bug bite you.  As a musician, I know that most likely I'll have to practice to get something just right.  :)

This refreshing fruit cup is ideal for a brunch or bridal shower, or anytime you want breakfast to be special.  The sunshine orange juice- flavored fruit  is a great wake up for a lazy Saturday.  I made the recipe using diet soda and Splenda, because the fruit already has a lot of natural sugar, as does the juice.


Frozen Fruit Cup

2-4 bananas, mashed
1 12-ounce can frozen orange juice, thawed
1 12-ounce can frozen lemonade, thawed
1 cup diet OR regular lemon lime soda, such as Sierra Mist or 7-UP
1 cup Splenda OR white sugar
8 ounces strawberries
8 ounces pineapple
1/2 cantaloupe

1.  In a large mixing bowl, mash several bananas with a fork.  Pour in the thawed orange juice and lemonade concentrates and the soda pop.  Mix well.  Add Splenda or sugar.

2. Dice the strawberries, pineapple and cantaloupe into small pieces.  Add to the juice mixture.  Stir to combine well.   Taste, and if the mixture is too tart for your preference, add more Splenda or sugar in 1/4 cup increments until you are satisfied with the flavor.

3.  Ladle the fruit mixture into serving dishes.  Custard cups work great, or you can use clear disposable plastic cups. For longer freezer storage, use small lidded plastic containers that are freezer-safe.  Cover and freeze overnight.  Take out about an hour before serving.  The fruit should be a slushy consistency when you serve it.  Yum!

Pineapple Custard

Jeffrey had a hankering for the pineapple custard that I make every year at Christmas and Easter, so I obliged him by making it even though we'll be gone for a few days.  It's not really a custard, but it does have eggs in it.  It can be served warm or cold.  I like it warm best.  It's a great side dish for baked ham.

Here's how you can tell the recipe is a favorite- just look at my old cookbook! 

When I spot old cookbooks at yard sales that look interesting, I always page through to see if the previous owner left notes, or if there are pages with major spills.  A really spattered page shows that the recipe was loved and was made a LOT!  I like seeing what other people loved to cook, and often their notes are helpful.  I almost feel like I'm reading someone else's diary;  I've gotten a little peek at one part of their lives.


Pineapple Custard
2 tablespoons          cornstarch
1/2 cup                    sugar
2 beaten                  eggs
1/4 cup                    water
1 teaspoon               vanilla
1 20-ounce can        crushed pineapple, undrained
3 tablespoons           butter
dusting of                 ground cinnamon

In a glass 8 x 8 baking dish, mix together the cornstarch and sugar.  Add the eggs, water, and vanilla.  Add the crushed pineapple, juice and all, and stir well.  Slice the 3 tablespoons of butter into about 5 pats and dot the pineapple mixture with them- don't mix in.  Dust lightly with a ground cinnamon.

Bake uncovered for one hour at 350 degrees.

Double-Spiced Jerk Pork Tenderloins with Grilled Pineapple Wedges

I was in something of a Jamaican mood this past weekend.   No, I'm not talking about reggae or ganja.  Instead, I'm talking Jamaican food.  I planned out several dishes I wanted to make.  The cornerstone of the meal would be jerk pork tenderloin, which would allow me to get some more grilling in before winter weather set in.

In looking over the various versions of jerk pork I have in my recipe library, I realized right away that I wanted to do something a bit more interesting than just the standard jerk spice rub.  Great as that is, I've been there and done that in a lot of varieties.  I wanted a wider range of flavors than one typically finds in jerk, and that's when I got the idea:  I'd do a marinade that featured citrus and herbal elements in addition to the standard jerk spices, and after the tenderloins had soaked in that for the better part of the day, I'd overlay that with a more standard jerk seasoning rub, adding a second layer of spices.   Considering what to put in the rub, I added some brown sugar and some kosher salt, knowing that when grilled, these ingredients would produce a dry, crisp outer layer, sealing in juices for moist, juicy pork.

The result, I'm happy to say, was exceptionally good, more than enough so to justify the extra time and effort.  The tenderloins grilled up with a crispy layer of spices, but they were tender and moist inside, and they packed a lot more flavor than one usually gets out of pork tenderloin. 

Since fruit and pork go so well together, I also decided to grill up a fresh pineapple.   In the past, when I've grilled pineapple it has either been on skewers along with meat and vegetables, or grilled pineapple rings, cut horizontally across the a cored, peeled pineapple.   I recently saw something that caught my eye in a cookbook, however:  a pineapple cut into vertical slices and tossed on the grill along with some sort of meat.  I decided to go with that idea. 

This also turned out great.  The grilling intensified the sweetness and tartness of the pineapple, and the chunks of pineapple tasted great along with bites of the jerk tenderloin.

I also served a couple other dishes with this meal, but I'll write about those over the next couple days.  This recipe stands well on its own, and it is a definite keeper.

Double-Spiced Jerk Pork Tenderloins with Grilled Pineapple Wedges

yield = 4 servings

Marinade
1       bunch green onions, white and green parts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2    habanero pepper (or 2 jalapenos), chopped
1/2    cup (packed) parsley leaves
1/4    cup orange juice
2       tablespoons lime juice
2       tablespoons light brown sugar
1       tablespoon dried thyme leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1       2-inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1       teaspoon ground allspice
1       teaspoon ground cloves
1       teaspoon salt
1/2    teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper

2       whole (1 pound each) pork tenderloins

Spice Rub
3       green onions (white parts only), minced fine
1       habanero pepper, minced fine
2       teaspoons light brown sugar
1       teaspoon ground allspice
1       teaspoon garlic powder
1       teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2    teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2    teaspoon ground cloves
1/2    teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2    teaspoon freshly-ground nutmeg

Pineapple Wedges
1      whole, fresh pineapple

Add all of the marinade ingredients in a food processor and puree into a thick, gloppy paste.

Put the tenderloins into a large zipper-close bag, then pour the marinate paste into the bag.  Zip the bag closed, leaving some air in the bag, and shake the bag to coat the tenderloins with the paste.  Open the bag, press out as much air as possible, then zip the bag shut again.  Refrigerate, turning occasionally, for at least two hours or preferably overnight.

Combine the rub ingredients in a small bowl.

Remove the tenderloins from the plastic bag, shaking loose excess marinade, and discard the bag along with the marinade.  Use your hands to rub the spices into the meat on all sides.  Place the tenderloins in a baking dish and cover the dish, but do not return the tenderloins to the refrigerator.

Preheat grill, brush grill rack with oil, and heat rack. 

Halve the pineapple from top to bottom.  Set one half on a cutting board and cut at a diagonal toward the core to make three wedge-shaped slices.   Repeat with the other half pineapple. 

Place the tenderloins on the grill over direct heat and cover the grill.  After 10 minutes, flip the tenderloins and place the pineapple slices on one of the cut sides over direct heat.  Cover the grill, then after another five minutes flip the pineapple slices.  Cover the grill again and cook for 5 minutes, or until the pork tenderloins reach an internal temperature of 150 degrees.   Remove the tenderloins from the grill to a plate and tent with foil, then  do the same with the pineapple slices.  Let the tenderloins rest for 5 minutes before slicing, then serve.

Caribbean Feast

So, for awhile now I've been putting thought into a new recipe.  I liked the pork chops with apples and brandy I cooked a couple weeks back quite a bit, and that got me thinking about how I might use some different fruits and liquors along with pork chops.  I've been actually working on the recipe for a few days now, and today I finally tried it out, along with a couple side dishes and a dessert (also original recipes).



Grilling the pork chops.  The chops are in the foreground.  In the rear are the skewers of tomatoes and mushrooms.  In the middle is a failed attempt at grilling chunks of pumpkin.

 All of the recipes reflect a Caribbean/tropical theme.  The centerpiece recipe, Caribbean-Style Pork Chops with Rum-Pineapple Sauce, is detailed below.  The chops are marinated in jerk seasonings, then grilled, while pineapple slices, onions and hot peppers are fried separately, then simmered in dark rum and chicken broth.  Once the chops are done, the pineapple slices are placed upon the grilled chops and both are covered with a glaze made in the skillet from the fried onions and peppers, rum, pineapple juice and brown sugar.  The chops were nice and moist inside, while the pineapple and sauce was delightfully sweet and hot, with an undertone of caramel and spice imparted by the rum.
I served up the chops atop a pile of black beans and rice cooked with more hot peppers, onions, coconut milk and a bit of spice.  The coconut milk mellowed out the heat of the peppers, so that while the rice and beans still had a bit of heat to them, they provided a nice counterbalance to the spicy sauce covering the chops.

I also grilled up some grape tomatoes and baby portobello mushrooms, and I tried out a grilled pumpkin recipe that turned out to be a big failure.  I won't be posting that one, as it needs to go back to the drawing board (or maybe into the waste bin).   The less said about that, the better, but it was easily ignored and thankfully did not ruin the rest of the meal

Finally, for dessert I grilled up some bananas in a sauce sort of along the lines of that used for bananas Foster and served them up atop vanilla ice cream.  They were quite tasty.

I'll post the rice and beans recipe and the banana recipe later, but for now, here's the main dish.

Caribbean-Style Pork Chops with Rum-Pineapple Sauce

yield = 4 servings

4     boneless pork chops, 3/4" thick
1     tablespoon lime juice
1     teaspoon canola oil
3     green onions (white and green parts), chopped
1     tablespoon packed brown sugar
1/2  teaspoon minced garlic
1/2  teaspoon ground allspice
1/2  teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2  teaspoon dried thyme
1/2  teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4  teaspoon ground cloves
1/4  teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1     small onion, diced
1     hot pepper (see notes, below), seeded and diced fine
2/3  fresh pineapple, cored, rind removed and sliced into 4 thick rings
       (one pineapple makes about 7 rings)
1/3  cup dark rum
1/4  cup chicken broth
1     can (6 oz.) pineapple juice
1/4  cup dark rum
1     tablespoon packed brown sugar
1/2  teaspoon grated ginger

Trim the chops of excess fat and poke both sides of the chops several times with a fork.  Add the lime juice, canola oil, brown sugar, garlic, allspice, cinnamon, black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, cloves and salt to food processor and blend into a coarse, pasty marinade.  Place the chops in a shallow glass dish and pour the marinade over the chops.  Turn the chops over and spoon marinade over the other side, then cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours, turning the chops and coating them with marinade 2-3 times during that time.

Prepare the grill with enough coals for direct medium heat (I piled the coals on only one side to allow for indirect-heat grilling on the other).   When the coals are ready and the grilling surface is hot, place the pork chops over the coals, spooning any marinade still in the dish onto the top of the chops.  Cover and cook for approx. 12 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers internal temperature of 130 degrees, turning once during this time. Place the chops on a serving plate and cover with foil to keep them warm.

Right after placing the chops on the grill, heat the canola oil in a skillet over medium high until the oil is shimmering. Add the onions and diced pepper and cook about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the pineapple slices.  Continue frying, stirring the onions and peppers and flipping the pineapple often.  Fry until the onions are a dark golden-brown and the pineapple has started to brown on both sides.  Add the rum and chicken broth, stir and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid has cooked off. 

Remove the pineapple slices from the skillet and place one over each of the grilled chops, then cover the pineapple and chops with foil again.   

Add the pineapple juice, 1/4 cup dark rum, brown sugar and grated ginger to the skillet with the onions and chili peppers and cook over medium-low heat until the sauce cooks thickens.  Pour sauce over the pineapple slices and chops and serve.

Notes:
The recipe calls for a hot chili pepper.  Select the specific sort of chili based on your comfort with heat.  I used a habanero and loved the result, but Juli found the pineapple slices and sauce a bit too spicy for her tastes.  For those with less tolerance for heat, one or two jalapenos might be a better choice, or perhaps half a habanero.