Hot Pepper Harvest & Hot Sauce Recipes

It’s been a bumper crop of hot peppers in my garden this year.  I’ve got a large amount of  jalapeños and habaneros ready to go.  As you can imagine, there are challenges to using up all these peppers without causing bodily harm…  Pickling and relishes are an option but I am trying to avoid the high salt and sugar in the majority of those recipes.  Hot sauce is a great alternative to pickled peppers because you avoid the super high salt content.    This year was the first year making hot sauce with habanero peppers.  Wow!  Caution.  These are not for the faint of heart!!!

Habanero Hot Sauce

Ingredients:  10 habaneros and 2 jalapeños (stems removed), 1 yellow or white onion diced, 1 head of garlic (cloves separated /skin removed), 1/2 cup water, 3/4 cup white vinegar, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoon smoked hot paprika

~Add the ingredients to a sauce pan and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, when you feel that the liquid is almost gone.  Transfer contents to a food processor and blend until smooth.  Keep hot sauce in a mason jar refrigerated for up to 2 months or consider canning if you will be making a large batch..  Note:  If you can’t handle the habanaro’s heat consider adding a cup or so of mango or pineapple to this recipe, it’s a good way to tame it down.

Spicy Vegan Pesto

Ingredients:  8 cloves garlic (cloves separated / skin removed), 1/2 cup EVOO, juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 cup pine nuts, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 jalapeño (stem removed), a large bunch of basil stems removed ( I like to fill my food processor up the rest of the way with basil, pushed down but not packed too tightly)

~Add the ingredients above(except the EVOO) to a food processor, process on low as you gradually add the EVOO, you may need to adjust the liquids depending how thick you want your pesto.  Store refrigerated in a mason jar for up to 1 month or consider canning.  Use this sauce with pasta, on bread or bruschetta, and with seafood.