10 spicy bar food recipes to heat up your menu

Cool beverages from the bar go hand-in-hand with drink-friendly small plates that offer a burst of peppery flavor. Pepper heat is measured in Scoville Units, thanks to pharmacist Wilbur Scoville, who invented the Scoville Scale back in 1912. Using his scale, here’s the approximate heat ranking of the peppery ingredients called for in the following recipes, according to the Scoville Scale for Peppers website. Starting with the mildest first, the heat levels are: Bell peppers, 0; shishito peppers, 50-200; piquillo peppers, 500-1,000; ancho chiles, 2,000; poblano peppers, 2,000; chipotle chile peppers, 8,000; jalapenos, 10,000; Fresno chile peppers, 10,000; red chile flakes, 20,000-40,000 and cayenne, 50,000.

Get inspired by the following recipes that can add some heat to cold-weather menus.

• Mango Manchego Stuffed Jalapenos with Curry Cornmeal Crunch
• Charred Shishito Peppers
• Loaded Poblano Fries
• Black Olive Tapenade and Goat’s Cheese Croustades
• Chile deviled eggs
• Grilled skirt steak with pistachio chipotle salsa
• Lamb meatloaf with pickled peppers and plantain cream
• Shisito Peppers
• Avocado bruschetta with chile jam
• Porcupine potatoes with hot pepper jelly dipping sauce