Justin: The Vegetarian

Habanero Hot Pepper Sauce:

Slow Burn

I have always had an affinity for all things hot. Ever since I can remember, I have doused my food in hot sauce, salsa, pepper sauce and whatever else that would give my meal a kick. When I was much younger, it was all about the heat. The hotter the better. I mean, what better way to draw attention to yourself than to eat the hottest peppers around. It's obviously the measure of a man, right? The hotter the sauce you can eat, the more manly you are?........Young men can be foolish. I remember the first time I ever saw a habanero pepper. It was probably about 10 years ago. I was at my brother-in-laws house. He had a few of them on the counter and asked me if I'd ever heard if them before. I told him no as I popped one in my mouth. He did that "nooooo" thing as his he reached forward as if to snatch it back out of my mouth. I said "Don't worry dude, I'm a REAL man. I can handle it". And I did too. But I'll admit, I did tear up a bit and the second he left the room, I guzzled down the beer I'd been drinking. I never did that again. I can look back on it now and smile. It was a good time back then and I learned a lot from it. The difference now is that I got nothing to prove. And that makes life much easier. 

But times have changed. My hair is bit grayer. My belly is tad larger. I nap more often that used to. One thing I learned from those days is that heat is not the end. Sure, heat is all well and good and don't get me wrong, I still love a good burn. But it's only one little part of a much larger and much prettier picture. 

For me, these days, the most important element to any hot sauce, above anything else, is the flavor. That's why I did my searching for a good sauce that contained habaneros. Yes, they are hot. I got that. And believe me, there are much hotter peppers out there. If fact, habs are on the milder side of things these days compared to nasty little beasts such as the Bhut Julokia. Google it, just don't eat it. 

I like habs because underneath all that fiery exterior lies a sweet little thing with so much love to give. Unfortunately, it seems most folks never get past that exterior. But trust me, if you can, you'll soon realize they are fruity. There's an element of citrus. They are truly are wonderful. 

This recipe was inspired by a recipe written by one of my favorite bloggers, Lisa Fain of The Homesick Texan. Oddly enough, the recipe was actually found on another site: Serious Eats. I did change it to my liking. I'm a bit more anal about measurements so I dialed those in a little more. Also, I made this one a bit brighter, saltier and wetter. I wanted it to play more like "hot pepper sauce" than a salsa. So the outcome here is completely different then the original recipe. Hope you like it.

Habanero Hot Pepper Sauce

Ingredients: 

• 1 Tbsp olive oil (or vegetable oil)
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 medium roma tomatoes, quartered then cored
• 1/4 yellow onion, sliced
• 6 habaneros, halved
• 3 garlic clove, crushed
• 3 Tbsp lime juice (use fresh limes, not that bottled crap)
• 2 Tbsp white vinegar
• Salt to taste (I use 2-3 tsp)
• 1 cup water

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add carrots and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato, onion, habaneros, and garlic. Continue to cook, stirring frequently until the tomato starts to break down, about another 4 minutes or so. 

2. Place the contents of the skillet into a blender. Add lime juice, vinegar and 1 half cup of the water. Blend until smooth. Continue to add water until you reach the desired consistency. 

3. Add the salt to taste

Suggestion: 

My favorite thing is to splash this sauce on my eggs and wrap it up in a tortilla. 

This goes good on tacos as well as being served with chips.