Hot Sauce

There is one thing that I like to do when I eat, and that is to sweat. I kid you not. Most times I think, if I am not sweating from the heat of the food, well then, it was just ok. Kidding aside, the reality is that I love spicy food. Lately I came across a post in the NYTimes on how to make your own hot sauce. Great! I have a ton of peppers left over from summer garden, so I thought I would give it a try, and wow, was it worth it.

The cool thing about making hot sauce, or for that matter, salsas, is that you can decide on what types of peppers go into it. The difficult part about this recipe is letting is sit for three days before tasting.

Note of extreme caution:

• Wash your hands after handling the peppers
• Do not get too close to the peppers after blending them down into a puree, and cooking it down; cover your mouth with a cloth.

Ingredients:

• Chili Peppers; stems removed, seeds in
• Cider Vinegar
• Salt

To a blender or food processor, add your peppers. I used a handful of thai bird chili, habanero, and serranos. Pour in enough vinegar to cover the chilis. Add in a small handul of salt and pulse it down to a puree. Pour this mixture into a pot and bring it to a boil. Cook on the boil for a few minutes. Next, funnel the mixture into your bottle, and let sit uncovered for three days. After the third day, carefully pour off the top layer of vinegar, cover, and refridgerate. Truly an easy process and great chili flavor. I’m still sweating from using it on my breakfast nearly thirty minutes ago!