serranos or Fresnos, coarsely chopped and with stems snipped but green tops left intact
1 dried chipotle pepper, coarsely chopped
10 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
1 ⁄ 4 cup unrefined cane sugar + 1 tablespoon
1 1 ⁄ 2 tablespoons sea salt
1 ⁄ 2 cup white distilled vinegar
----
Place peppers, garlic, 1 ⁄ 4 cup sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until chilies are very finely chopped, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Transfer mixture to a clean jar, cover with a paper towel secured by a rubber band, and let sit at room temperature for 5–8 days
Check the jar each day for fermentation, denoted by the little bubbles that form throughout the mixture. Let ferment until chilies are no longer rising in volume, usually about 7–8 days.
Transfer chilies to a blender, add in white vinegar, and purée until completely smooth, 1–3 minutes. Transfer to a mesh strainer set on top of a medium saucepan. Strain mixture into saucepan, using a rubber spatula to push through as much pulp as possible; only seeds and larger pieces of chilies should remain in strainer.
Stir in the remaining tablespoon of sugar, then bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered until sauce thickens and clings to the back of a spoon, 5–10 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to an airtight container and store in refrigerator for up to 6 months.
Classic Hot Sauce
This hot sauce will be only as spicy as the peppers you use, so if you like a screamingly hot sauce, use Scotch bonnets or habaneros and leave the seeds in. If you like something much demurer, choose jalapeños and deseed them. This recipe uses a slightly different technique to make hot sauce than what you might find in other cookbooks. By leaving the chilies whole as they ferment, you’ll find that the flavors deepen and the final result is smoother in texture. It also leaves a chili paste behind, which is delicious when added to soups, scrambled eggs, and other dishes needing a bit of a kick.
----
HANDS-ON: 15 minutes
INACTIVE: 5–7 days
INACTIVE: 7 days
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: ∗
YIELD: Serves 32; Makes 1 pint
COST PER SERVING: $
CALORIES: 4
FAT: 0 g
PROTEIN: 0 g
SODIUM: 222 mg
FIBER: 0 g
CARBOHYDRATES: 1 g
SUGAR: 0 g
----
----
1 ⁄ 2 pound fresh chili peppers
1 tablespoon unrefined sea salt
1 cup filtered water, plus more as needed
3–4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ⁄ 4 cup white wine vinegar (or more, to taste)
----
Remove the stems from the chilies but don’t remove the cap. Chop them very coarsely and place them in a quart-size Mason jar. (If you’re using small red Thai chilies, there is no need to chop them at all.)
Stir the salt into the water; then pour it over the chilies. If the water doesn’t cover the chilies completely, add more water until they’re submerged.
Cover loosely; then set aside at room temperature and allow to ferment for 5–7 days.
After 5–7 days, strain the brine off the chilies and reserve it for other fermentation projects.
Place the fermented chilies in a food processor or blender along with the garlic, the vinegar, and a tablespoon or two of the reserved brine. Blend until smooth.
Pour the mixture into a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Let all the liquid drain out, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
Bottle the liquid hot sauce in an airtight container and store either in the refrigerator or at room temperature for up to 6 months. Spoon the remaining chili paste into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months as well.
Harissa
Authentic harissa is a North African hot chili paste and is gorgeously spicy and intensely hot, but this recipe calls for a tamer version of the traditional paste. By substituting some of the hot peppers with sweet red peppers, the original flavor is mimicked, and the heat is provided by smoked paprika, a dried chili, and chili powder. Use harissa as a fiery condiment for pretty much anything: a sandwich
1 dried chipotle pepper, coarsely chopped
10 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
1 ⁄ 4 cup unrefined cane sugar + 1 tablespoon
1 1 ⁄ 2 tablespoons sea salt
1 ⁄ 2 cup white distilled vinegar
----
Place peppers, garlic, 1 ⁄ 4 cup sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until chilies are very finely chopped, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Transfer mixture to a clean jar, cover with a paper towel secured by a rubber band, and let sit at room temperature for 5–8 days
Check the jar each day for fermentation, denoted by the little bubbles that form throughout the mixture. Let ferment until chilies are no longer rising in volume, usually about 7–8 days.
Transfer chilies to a blender, add in white vinegar, and purée until completely smooth, 1–3 minutes. Transfer to a mesh strainer set on top of a medium saucepan. Strain mixture into saucepan, using a rubber spatula to push through as much pulp as possible; only seeds and larger pieces of chilies should remain in strainer.
Stir in the remaining tablespoon of sugar, then bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered until sauce thickens and clings to the back of a spoon, 5–10 minutes. Let cool, then transfer to an airtight container and store in refrigerator for up to 6 months.
Classic Hot Sauce
This hot sauce will be only as spicy as the peppers you use, so if you like a screamingly hot sauce, use Scotch bonnets or habaneros and leave the seeds in. If you like something much demurer, choose jalapeños and deseed them. This recipe uses a slightly different technique to make hot sauce than what you might find in other cookbooks. By leaving the chilies whole as they ferment, you’ll find that the flavors deepen and the final result is smoother in texture. It also leaves a chili paste behind, which is delicious when added to soups, scrambled eggs, and other dishes needing a bit of a kick.
----
HANDS-ON: 15 minutes
INACTIVE: 5–7 days
INACTIVE: 7 days
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: ∗
YIELD: Serves 32; Makes 1 pint
COST PER SERVING: $
CALORIES: 4
FAT: 0 g
PROTEIN: 0 g
SODIUM: 222 mg
FIBER: 0 g
CARBOHYDRATES: 1 g
SUGAR: 0 g
----
----
1 ⁄ 2 pound fresh chili peppers
1 tablespoon unrefined sea salt
1 cup filtered water, plus more as needed
3–4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ⁄ 4 cup white wine vinegar (or more, to taste)
----
Remove the stems from the chilies but don’t remove the cap. Chop them very coarsely and place them in a quart-size Mason jar. (If you’re using small red Thai chilies, there is no need to chop them at all.)
Stir the salt into the water; then pour it over the chilies. If the water doesn’t cover the chilies completely, add more water until they’re submerged.
Cover loosely; then set aside at room temperature and allow to ferment for 5–7 days.
After 5–7 days, strain the brine off the chilies and reserve it for other fermentation projects.
Place the fermented chilies in a food processor or blender along with the garlic, the vinegar, and a tablespoon or two of the reserved brine. Blend until smooth.
Pour the mixture into a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Let all the liquid drain out, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
Bottle the liquid hot sauce in an airtight container and store either in the refrigerator or at room temperature for up to 6 months. Spoon the remaining chili paste into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months as well.
Harissa
Authentic harissa is a North African hot chili paste and is gorgeously spicy and intensely hot, but this recipe calls for a tamer version of the traditional paste. By substituting some of the hot peppers with sweet red peppers, the original flavor is mimicked, and the heat is provided by smoked paprika, a dried chili, and chili powder. Use harissa as a fiery condiment for pretty much anything: a sandwich
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