FOR 2007, it has been claimed by those 'in the know' (whoever they are) that chilli is the new garlic. Well, I certainly am not going to stop eating garlic; in fact this is the time of the year to up the garlic consumption; but it is also the time of the year that we should be using lots of chilli in our cooking.

After the few weeks of eating and drinking too much, and not exercising enough over Christmas (I speak for myself! ) we need to give our poor bodies a bit of a kick-start in the right direction.

It is a well-known fact that chilli stimulates the adrenal glands . . . which is why it gets rid of hangovers . . . think of a good spicy Bloody or Virgin Mary laced with chilli tabasco sauce for instance.

A bit of chopped chilli in your food will work wonders for raising the endorphins and making you feel fabulous again. If you are feeling stuffed up with a cold, then some chilli in your food will help clear away congestion build-up, allowing you to breathe more easily.

The super chilli, which is low in cholesterol, high in Vitamins C (containing more then citrus fruit), A, K, B Complex and iron, may help reduce blood pressure, as well as boosting our immune system.

It is also the ideal ingredient to add into your food if you are trying to lose weight as it is thought to get the metabolism moving a bit faster.

All chillies start life on the plant green, and then as they ripen some of them change colour to red, yellow, orange, brown or even purple. They get hotter as they ripen, which is why red chillies are usually hotter than green.

There are hundreds of different varieties of chillies, and if you know your jalapeno from your habanero, then you will know that different chillies vary a lot in flavour and heat. Even chillies of the same variety vary, so it is impossible to always give an exact amount of chilli to be used in a recipe.

Chilli strength is measured by Scoville Heat Units (SHU), which was developed by chemist William Scoville in 1912, where a normal sweet bell pepper has 0 units, a relatively mild jalapeno may have between 5,000 and 40,000, while the mindnumbingly hot habanero leaves its tame cousins a long way behind with a scorching rating of about 200,000.

Chilli tips

>>The hottest part of the chilli is not (as widely believed) the seeds, but the membrane which holds the seeds, so beware.

>> Taste a tiny bit of the chilli, smaller than a crumb, and you will be able to gauge how much you should be using.

>> While, and after chopping chillies, avoid rubbing your eyes, or touching any sensitive skin, as it will burn. The best cure for burning eyes or skin is repeated rinsing with water, then rub with alcohol before dabbing with milk.

>> To avoid that burning under your fingernails, wash your hands after chopping the chillies, then soak your finger tips in milk for a few minutes.

>> The best cure for a burning mouth is dairy . . . a glass of milk or some natural yoghurt.

>> When handling very hot chillies like habaneros, Thai bird's eye or the deceivingly cute-looking Scotch bonnets, you might want to wear rubber gloves as too much contact with these chillies can cause blisters.

Chilli recipe tips

>>Chocolate and chilli go really well together, so a little chopped chilli added into chocolate brownies or truffles will be a great treat.

>> Toss some freshly cooked pasta with some chopped chilli, crushed garlic, olive oil and chopped coriander or parsley for a light healthy supper.

>> A simple hot chilli broth is quick, nutritious and very comforting . . . heat up some good chicken or turkey stock, add a little chopped chilli and garlic, slices of ginger, a drizzle of nam pla (Thai fish sauce) and some chopped coriander.

>> Dried chilli flakes are great to have in the kitchen for when you have no fresh chillies to hand, for adding into soups, stews, noodles and pasta.

>> Toss chunks of root vegetables with some olive oil, salt, pepper and some chopped chilli or dried chilli flakes, and roast in a hot oven.

>> Toss slices or chunks of fruit (like mango, papaya, banana, melon) with lime juice, golden sugar and some chopped chilli for a wonderfully light refreshing end to a meal, or for a hangover-busting breakfast.

Thai coconut soup with chilli, pak choi and rice noodles Serves 4-6 110g flat rice noodles, medium, 1/2 cm wide One x 400ml tin coconut milk 400ml vegetable stock/water/chicken stock Two tbsp grated ginger One chilli, chopped, or one generous pinch of dried chilli flakes Two cloves of garlic, crushed Two tbsp fish sauce 450g pak choi, sliced Two tbsp chopped coriander Soak the rice noodles in boiling water for 10 minutes, or until soft, and drain. Put the coconut milk, stock, ginger, chilli, garlic and fish sauce into a saucepan, bring to the boil and cook for five minutes. Add the pak choi and continue cooking for another five minutes, until it is just soft. Then add the chopped coriander . . . it probably won't need any salt.

With a tongs, divide the noodles (doesn't matter if they have cooled down by now) into deep serving bowls, and pour a ladelful of the hot soup over them.

Serve.

Handy hint: I have often made this at home when I have had no fresh coriander or pak choi, and it is still delicious. You could use parsley, even. For meateaters, thinly sliced chicken breast (instead of the pak choi, to cook for five minutes also) is great.

>> You can cut the noodles to make them easier to eat, but in many parts of Asia it is very bad luck to cut noodles . . . it's like cutting all your hopes and dreams. Anyway, I prefer the slurping and sucking up of the noodles.

Tomato, chilli and coriander fondue Serves 4-6 This is basically just a variation on a classic tomato fondue, which is fabulous served as a vegetable with any cooked meat, and is the best pasta sauce. This will keep in the fridge for a week and will freeze perfectly.

In the summer I would replace the tins of tomatoes with 900g of peeled, chopped, ripe tomatoes.

Three tbsp olive oil One medium onion, sliced Two cloves of crushed or grated garlic One red or green chilli, deseeded (if you wish) and chopped Two tins of chopped tomatoes Two tbsp chopped coriander leaves and stalks In a saucepan, put the olive oil and the sliced onion and season with salt and pepper.

Cover and cook until the onion is completely soft, then add the garlic and chilli, and cook for one minute before adding the tomatoes. Season with a few generous pinches of sugar to help sweeten the tinned tomatoes.

Cook on a low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring every now and again, until the tomatoes are soft and the fondue has reduced down to a nice, fairly thick consistency.

Add the chopped coriander, and taste for seasoning, adding more chilli, salt, sugar or pepper if necessary.

Chilli chocolate truffles Makes lots!

This recipe is from my favourite cookbook of the week, Cook by Thomasina Miers. These deliciously spicy chocolate truffles are a cinch to make and are great instead of (or as well as) dessert at a dinner party.

700g dark chocolate A good pinch of allspice A good pinch ground cinnamon 10 cloves One tsp dried chilli flakes 400ml cream 30g butter Two tbsp dark rum, brandy or whiskey 50g cocoa powder Grease a 30 x 12cm baking tin with a little oil and line with clingfilm.

Grind the allspice, cinnamon, cloves and chilli using a mortar and pestle.

Gently heat the cream and the ground spices in a heavy-bottomed pan. When hot but not boiling, add to the chocolate in a bowl and stir through. If the chocolate has not melted completely, suspend your bowl over a pan of simmering water to melt any last chunks. Stir in the butter and rum. Pour the chocolate mixture into the tin, ensuring the top is level and the mixture has filled the corners. Freeze for an hour.

To finish, sift the cocoa powder into a large bowl.

Remove the chocolate from the freezer and carefully turn out onto a chopping board. Peel back the clingfilm and cut into 2-3cm cubes, then toss gently in the cocoa powder. Store in a plastic bag in the freezer until you want to use them.

Handy hint: If you use 70% cocoa solids chocolate you will need to add one tbsp golden syrup to the mixture, or the chocolate will be too rich and bitter.

Fast food: Heat a wide pan and add a drizzle of olive oil, add one or two chopped cloves of garlic, and one chopped and deseeded red chilli. Allow to sizzle for a few seconds, then add in hot cooked broccoli, toss for a minute and serve.

BOOK OF THE WEEK Cook by Thomasina Miers (Collins). a wonderful new cookbook from the Masterchef winner, is fun, eclectic and uncomplicated. Try the Mexican chilli and garlic sauce, Mojo de Ajo on steak, prawns, chicken or roasted vegetablesf divine.