Sunday, October 13, 2013

Almost too Hot Pepper Sauce

Habanero Peppers
Cooked and Ready to Blend

Prawn Ceviche with Habanero Salsa

The saying goes "When life gives you Lemons, make Lemonade" well when I get Chilli's I make Salsa. A friend of mine recently gave me a big handful of his home grown Habanero peppers. They were small and bright orange like little fiery pumpkins. After many years of eating salsas I have developed a appreciation for the flavor of the peppers that goes beyond the heat they produce, that's good because Habanero peppers are high on the scoville scale, a number scale of how hot peppers are. 100,000-350,000 for Habanero while the common jalapeno is 3,500+. When I make cooked Salsas I use my normal recipe of simmering them with yellow onions and garlic in white vinegar with a touch of sugar and salt, then carefully blending and straining. This salsa turned out great with really a good fresh chili flavor up front and with a mouth numbing burn starting slowly to becoming intensely hot after a few minutes, did you know drinking milk is a great way to stop the pain?

Habanero Salsa
Ingredients: 
2 cups Fresh Habanero chili
1/2 Yellow onion, diced
3 Garlic Cloves, rough chopped
1 cup White vinegar
1/4 cup Sugar
Pinch Kosher salt
1 Tomato, chopped (optional for a more saucy texture)

Method:
1. Simmer all ingredients for about 30 minutes till soft.
2. Carefully Blend till smooth, add water to thin if necessary.
3. Use a medium wire strainer to remove any large bits or seeds for a smooth sauce.
4. Refrigerate for up to a month.

Note: Always wear plastic gloves when handling raw chilies and don't touch your Face!

No comments: