Habanero Hot Sauce

Habanero Pepper

I was walking through the grocery store yesterday and I saw that they just got a load of very good looking Habanero Chilis. These are the little chilies that some call the "Scotch Bonnet", they are about 1 1/2 inches long and about 1 inch in diameter. They are very pretty shade of orange and are very hot, but have an unmistakable fruity flavor. I picked up 5 of these little guys and made the following hot sauce from them. As is my usual, I started with a basic recipe and modified it a little. Mine is better than the original, but here it is in case you want to try the original.

Habanero Hot Sauce

Ingredients:
      1 Tbs. olive oil
      1 cup carrots, diced
      1 cup onion, diced
      2 whole jalapeno peppers (prepared as directed)
      5 cloves Garlic, rough chopped or minced
      1/4 cup water
      1/4 cup lime juice
      1/4 cup white vinegar
      1/4 cup Agave Nectar or Honey
      2 medium tomatoes, peeled and rough chopped
      5 whole habanero chilies (prepared as directed)
      salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare the Peppers: Wear rubber gloves for this and do not touch your eyes or anything else that has sensitive skin. I am not kidding, you will thank me later. Prepare jalapenos first, then the habaneros. Take each pepper and cut off the top near the stem then split it lengthwise and cut or scoop out the seeds and the white pith and discard. For the jalapenos, rough chop them and set aside. For the habaneros, leave them cut in 1/2. Take your cutting board and knife to the sink and give them a very good scrubbing with hot water and soap, then remove your gloves and throw them away.
2. Heat the oil in a non-stick saute pan and add the carrots, onion and jalepenos and saute about 3 minutes until they are just becoming soft. Add the garlic and saute until the vegetables are soft, about 2-3 minutes more.
3. Add the contents of the saute pan to a blender and then add the water, lime juice, vinegar, agave nectar (or honey), tomatoes and habanero chilies. Blend until very smooth, about 5-6 minutes in my Kitchen Aide blender. Taste, it will need salt; add it and pepper to taste.
4. Place in a container or squirt bottle and chill. Use on anything that needs a fruity kick. 

Note: You can make an excellent wing sauce by combining it with melted butter and a bit of garlic powder.

Uncle Matt