In more than 100 recipes, Peppers Peppers Peppers offers an eclectic mix of sweet and spicy with traditional and contemporary. A colorful celebration of the versatile pepper, Marlene Spieler's recipes are innovative and straightforward -- few have more than a handful of ingredients. From the fiery hot Thai chile pepper to the mildly sweet and familiar red bell pepper, this cookbook accommodates all tastes with recipes originating in North America, the Mediterranean, the Far East, India, the African continent, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe.

Opening with a history of the pepper's "discovery" by Columbus and its subsequent introduction to European cooking, Peppers Peppers Peppers includes:

• extensive information on how to grow, store and dry peppers roasting and preserving peppers a directory of peppers listing all varieties of fresh sweet and chile peppers how to cook with - and safely eat - hot peppers buying and preparing bottled, pickled and powdered peppers recommendations of what to drink with pepper dishes A World Guide to Chiles map mail-order sources of exotic pepper varieties spiciness ratings of the more fiery dishes

The recipes include soups, appetizers, salads, poultry, meat, fish, sandwiches, pastries and accompaniments. From the opening Louisiana Mixed Pepper Gumbo, Apache Soup and Yellow Pepper Soup with Pistou to the closing New Mexican Style Chile-Braised Beef, Bayou Gnocchi, Thai Mango, and Papaya and Chile Relish, cooks of all experience levels will find inspiration here. All of the recipes are fundamentally simple to execute: Orzo with Roasted Chiles, Chile-Lime Butter and Grated Cheese takes just 25 minutes; Moroccan Pepper and Tomato Soup, 25 minutes; Garlic-Roasted Monkfish with Peppers and Saffron Cream or Red Pepper and Tomato Souffle, 40 to 50 minutes. From simple, fresh salsas to rich, creamy stews - the pepper is one of the kitchen's most accommodating staples.