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My Hot Sauce

Source of Recipe

From "Real Cajun" by Donald Link


Recipe Introduction

"I started making my own hot sauce at my house in New Orleans, using paprika chiles from our garden. Chiles flourish throughout the summer, so this sauce provides a great way to use them up (and enjoy their sunny flavor all year long). But this sauce is a really fun way to experiment with different types of chiles. I call for my new favorite, criolla sellas, which are a medium-size yellow pepper with lemony overtones. I've also used red and green jalapeños, although the criollas have the most complex flavor. If you want some *really* spicy stuff, use habaneros or bird's-eye chiles. This sauce will perk up everything from scrambled eggs to burgers, gumbo, or jambalaya."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 cups chopped criolla sella chiles (or other hot chile)
â—¦ 1 cup salt
â—¦ ½ cup white vinegar
â—¦ 1 cup cider vinegar
â—¦ 2 bay leaves
â—¦ 3 garlic cloves
â—¦ ¼ cup sugar


Recipe

Combine the chiles and salt in an airtight container and seal. Set aside at room temperature for 4 days.

Rinse the salt off the chiles and drain. Heat the chiles, vinegars, bay leaves, garlic, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Allow the mixture to cool, then transfer to a blender and purée until smooth. (Use extreme caution when blending so you don't splatter the sauce anywhere near your eyes.) Store the sauce in the refrigerator, in a tightly sealed sterilized glass jar.

Makes about 1 ½ cups