New pickins

[Eric Childress]

Just picked some peppers today, not many, but I am in the mood to make some hot sauce. Not sure if any of the poblanos will go in, but I do have, 3 serranos, 2 jalepenos, and 1 habanero, I might be able to pick one or two more if needed.

Anyways, I was wondering what you guys recommend on making hot sauce? I've looked up a couple recipes, one is with tomato sauce and a little vinegar, the other was mostly vinegar. Just looking for some ideas.

[mcnerd]

Easy Hot Sauce

8 cups canned diced tomatoes -- (64 ounces) undrained
1 1/2 cups serrano peppers -- chopped and seeded
4 cups white vinegar -- 5%
2 teaspoons canning salt
2 tablespoons pickling spice

Start by washing half-pint canning jars; keep hot until they are filled. Prepare lids according to the manufacturer's directions.

Next place mixed pickling spices in a spice bag and tie ends firmly. Mix all ingredients in a Dutch oven or large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 20 minutes or until tomatoes are soft.

Press mixture through a food mill. Return the liquid to the pot, heat to boiling and boil for 15 minutes.

Fill hot sauce into clean, hot half-pint jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids.

Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes (15 minutes if 1,000-6,000 ft altitude; 20 minutes if over 6,000 ft). Allow hot sauce to cool, undisturbed, for 12 to 24 hours and check seals. You can remove screw bands after the food has cooled if the lids are sealed.

Description: "Easy Hot Sauce is great for stirring into vegetables or cheese dips and spicing up soups and chili."
Source: "http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_03/easy_hot_sauce.html"
Yield: "4 half pints"

[AllenOK]

Roast the peppers, along with some thickly-sliced onions and whole peeled garlic cloves. When they're caramelized, place them in a saute pan or small saucepan, with a little liquid of some sort (I abhor using water, vegetable stock is a good choice), and bring it all to a simmer. Cook it down. Puree with a hand blender or transfer to a counter-top blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Vinegar is optional.

Personally, I like a little fruit in the sauce, especially if there's a lot of Hab's in there. Grill pineapple is great, as is pineapple juice with the vegetable stock.