Yesterday my sister and I celebrated our birthdays together, and one thing she gave me was a book from the Time/Life Foods of the World series (copyright 1970) titled The Cooking of the Caribbean Islands. I'm sure many of you have seen these books; they are companion sets of large hardbound illustrated books and smaller, spiral-bound books with only the recipes. Interesting, they use the terms chili and chilies. So ... let's read together. Saba Pepper Sauce to make about 1/2 cup 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh hot chilies 2 tbsp finely chopped onions 1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic 3 tbsp malt vinegar 1/4 cup water 1/2 tsp salt 1 tbsp olive oil Combine the chilies, onions and garlic in a small bowl. Bring the vinegar, water and salt to a boil in a small enameled, stainless steel or glass saucepan and, stirring constantly, pour them over the chili mixture. Pour the oil over the top. Tightly covered asnd refrigerated, the Saba pepper sauce can be kept safely for about 3 to 4 weeks. Sauce Creole (Martinique) to make about 2 cups 1 cup canned tomato puree 1/4 cup strained fresh lime juice 1 cup finely chopped onions 1 tbsp finely chopped onions 1 tsp finely chopped celery 1 tsp finely chopped fresh hot peppers 1 tsp salt Freshly ground black pepper 3 pimento-stuffed olives, drained and cut crosswise into paper-thin slices In a deep bowl, combine the tomato puree, lime juice, onions, celery, chiles, salt and a few grindings of pepper, and stir until they are thoroughly blended. Then stir in the olive slices. Serve at once, or cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate it until ready to use. The sauce can be safely kept in a refrigerator for about 5 to 7 days. Sauce Creole is traditionally served as an accompanyment to seafood dishes, such as broiled lobster and Pescado Asado. Trinidad Pepper Sauce to make abvout 3/4 cup 1/4 pound fresh hot chilies, preferably a mix of red, green, and yellow, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped 6 tbsp finely chopped onions 2 tbsp peeled and finely chopped unripe fresh papaya 1/2 tsp tumeric 1-1/2 tsp prepared mustard, preferably Dijon type 3/4 tsp salt 1/4 cup malt vinegar Combine the chilies, onions, papaya, salt, mustard, and vinegar in a small eneameled, stainless steel, or glass saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and cool to room temperature before using. Covered tightly and refrigerated, the sauce may be kept safely for four weeks. For longer storage, ladle the sauce into a hot sterilized canning jar and seal tightly with its ring and lid. Sauce Ti-Malice (Haiti) chili, onion, and lime-juice sauce to make about 1 cup 1-1/2 cups finely chopped onions 1/4 cup strained fresh lime juice 2 tbsp butter 2 tsp finely chopped fresh hot chiles 1 tsp finely chopped garlic 2 tsp salt Drop the onions into a small bowl, stir the lime juice over them, and marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Drain the onions into a fine seive over a small bowl, tossing the with a forlk to remove as much liquid as possible. Reserve the marinade. In a heavy 8- to 10- inch skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. When the foam begins to subside, add the onions and, stirring stirring frequently, cook for about 5 minutes, until they are soft and transparent but not brown. Watch carefully for any sign of burning and regulate heat accordingly. Stir in the chopped chilies and the garlic, reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet tightly, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the chiles are tender. Off the heat stir in the reserved marinade and the salt. Cool to room temperature before serving. Covered tightly and refrigerated, sauce Ti-Malice can be kept safely for about 5 to 7 days. Dominican Pepper Sauce to make about 1 cup 1/2 pound fresh hot chilies, preferably a mix of red, green, and yellow, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped 1/2 cup finely chopped onions 2 tsp finely chopped garlic 3 tbsp peeled and finely chopped fresh unripe papaya 1/2 tsp tumeric 1-1/2 tsp salt 1/4 cup malt vinegar Combine the chilies, inions, garlic, papaya, tumeric, salt and vinegar in a small eneameled, stainless steel, or glass saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil over high heat and cook briskly for a minute or so. Pour the entire contents of the saucepan into the jar of an electric blender and blend at high speed until the vegetables are completely pulverized and reduced to a smooth puree. (To puree the sauce by hand, rub it into a fine seive set over a bowl, pressing down hard on the vegetables with the back of a spoon before discarding the pulp.) Taste for seasoning and cool to room temperature before serving. Covered tightly and refrigerated, the sauce may be kept safely for four weeks. Salsa Piquante (Guadalupe) to make 1-1/2 cups 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar 1/2 cup finely chopped onions 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots, or substitute 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions, white part only 1 fresh red or green hot chili, about 3 inches long, stemmed, seeded, and cut crosswise into paper-thin slices 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper In a mixing bowl, combine the olive oil and vinegar, and beat them together with a whisk or fork. Stir in the onions, shallots or scallions, the sliced chili, salt and pepper. Let the sauce rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour to develop its flavor. Sauce Picante is traditionally served with broiled fish and lobster. Pepper Wine to make 1/2 pint 3 whole fresh hot chilies, each about 3 inches long 1/2 pint light rum, or substitute pale dry sherry Wash the chilies under cold running water and pat them completely dry with paper towels. Place the whole chiles in a 1-quart bottle or jar and pour the rum over them. Cover tightly and marinate at room temperature for at least 10 days before using. A drop or two of pepper wine is a firey flavoring for such soups as calaloo and saucochi de gallinja. _________________________________________________________________ Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail