You can't handle the heat!

Give you heat? You can’t handle the heat! Among my varied international friends and acquaintances, Haitian coleslaw, ‘picklees’, has even my die hard Indian friends (the ones that don’t flinch when putting five jalapenos in a cup of guacamole) clearing their throats. Picklees, should be sprinkled on by the teaspoon as opposed to heaping mounds that smother hot dogs. So, when we have visitors over who say they ‘love spicy food’, the opportunity presents itself to slide the vibrant jar their way, giving sidelong glances as we snicker into our cupped palms at the oblivious, waiting for the ‘it’s not that bad’ comment to stop in mid-chew, knowing the volcano has erupted in the back their throat. It’s a creeper, I say.
One of the convenient things about picklees (peak-leeze) is that it is vinegar based, so one batch can last you through the summer into the winter. Some of us have had that jar in the fridge, pushed over by the ketchup, for at least a year now. However, summer is coming so bring it to the eye level shelf; it is colorful and you can test to see if your friends could handle the heat ( I wouldn’t suggest competitions among the male guests with it, but at least introduce it to the ones who claim they eat spicy foods).
Picklees is a slightly crunchy, spicy blast to your barbecue! What can you use it on? Well, let’s say you have a few slabs of skirt steak, after grilling them, spread a ribbon of picklees on it, and cut the slabs into 1-inch sections to serve as an appetizer. It’s just enough zing in a bite size portion without feeling overwhelmed. It’s great on fried plantains and grilled chicken too.