My wife and I love to cook. On some weekends, we will spend hours in the kitchen inventing new dishes and trying new recipes. We are also huge fans of cooking shows like “Beat Bobby Flay,” which we watch religiously, so we can learn new techniques and tricks of the trade from the industry’s best chefs.

We were thus enthralled and excited when we read the title of Gregory Bloom’s Meatingplace blog last week: “It’s Chili Contest time!” The blog provided a wonderful glimpse of perfecting chili recipes and winning chili contests. Gregory even offered up his friend’s winning recipe; Nathan’s Ultimate Chili Recipe sounds fabulous, and Jessica and I will definitely give it a try.

The blog also got me thinking about how we stumbled across some of our own favorite ingredients when cooking. Over the years, as Jessica and I waded through episode after episode of "Beat Bobby Flay," we were perplexed at how often Chef Flay would slay the competition with his tasteful recipes. He seems to have no problem beating even the most seasoned chefs. What is his trick, we wondered?

Eventually, we caught on. Bobby Flay uses a health dose of crushed Calabrian chili peppers in most of his dishes. Convinced that he was on to something, we also started using the ingredient in many of our own dishes. Once we added Calabrian chili to our family’s traditional marinara sauce, it turned a tasty sauce into a sauce that few, with the exception of Bobby Flay or Gregory Bloom, could likely beat.

We order our Calabrian chili from a company in Marcellinara, Italy, a small town located in the southern part of the country. The crushed Calabrian chili peppers are infused with sunflower seed oil, olive oil, salt, vinegar and basil. The blend has a touch of sweetness and a solid medium heat. When used in moderation, it is perfect for spicing up marinara sauces, chili sauces, pizzas and spreads. Although I have not yet tried it, the company boasts that the crushed chilis are great as a spread on grilled meats and fish.

Our traditional meal when our family gathers for Christmas is spaghetti and meatballs, and this year we will definitely be bringing the Calabrian chili. We are also giving them as gifts to many of our family and friends, who have neither heard of them nor tried them.

So, regardless of what your cooking this year, if you’re looking for a way to spice up the holidays and add some additional warmth to your meals, be sure to give these little chilis from Italy a try.

Spice up the holidays

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