Awesome Hot Sauce (Recipe)
Tomato Based that is
The following post is a recipe for a tomato based hot sauce I fell in love with some years ago. When I was 29, I made a big move which in my mind had a higher level of risk associated with it. To elaborate a little more, I was leaving a rather comfortable environment where the cost of living was more affordable to a town that was less comfortable, more expensive, yet had more perceived opportunity. It was actually a fairly stressful time in my life where I had a few different irons in a few different fires so to speak. So lots going on. By in large, this move had lots of potential for me professionally and personally.
During times like these, I often focus on simple pleasures to help get me through. Eating well has always been one avenue. And if I can find a restaurant that makes food that is affordable, tastes good, and fairly nutritious I am there. Like once a week there.
Upon the first evening in said new town I had to eat out. Why...? Well, for some stupid reason my landlord did not have my apartment ready, and I had to purchase an expensive (for me) hotel room. Something I am still bothered by to this day. Anyway, as this new apartment was close to a lively waterfront area, I headed into 'town' and looked for a restaurant. As I walked up the sidewalk, I saw an establishment with huge windows that had a small bar style counter-top on the other side. So people were sitting at these bar tops, on the other side of these windows, stuffing their faces with food. With all the passerby's watching them eat. But these patrons seemed unbothered, rather, they were concentrating on eating and nothing else. Almost in a trance. Intrigued, I went in. Being a Tex-Mex place, I bought a burrito. Fell in love. And the rest is history.
For the following 12 years, I frequented this place once a week on average. And have easily eaten multiples of my own body weight in burrito's and taco's. They were cheap, healthy, fresh, and delicious. Seeing as I became a regular there in short order, they used to make my taco's extra fat, or, with extra meat. I'd like to think it was due to my habitual patronage.
As good as their base food was, it was this one house made condiment that had me coming back for more. Their Hot Sauce. Oh my...that hot sauce. Not only did it have me transfixed, but most others as well. This was the sort of place that was a local's secret. An area's delight. And the hot sauce was at the forefront of its legend. It was so good that at one point in time when they were low, I asked another man eating if we could share. Something I had done with others in the past. Both when asked, and asking myself. Knowing the taste bud gold that this was, it was never an issue. Well, until this one time.
Seriously I was just going in to get my pork burrito, with guacamole, no sour cream...that was my order. As it was being made, I noticed the hot sauce allocation was low. There was one man hording one flask of the stuff, and I kindly approached him to share. Again, a common occurrence there. He rudely and emphatically said no. Being that we are talking about New York's Long Island, a place on earth where a subset of the population can be uniquely rude, I was not surprised. However, I was about 6 or 7 years in as a 'local', and this aspect of living there was getting more annoying day by day.
Now normally, I like to act as if I'm a mirror during my interactions with people. What you give me, I give you in return. Especially if the other person is being rude. However, on this occasion as he was filibustering his reasons why he will not share the hot sauce I slowly got up from my seat and walked away to save this man from my wrath.
Yeah...this hot sauce had it like that. But fighting over this delicacy, no matter how hard I wanted to in that moment, didn't seem worth it. Because it's a condiment and there would always be more of it in the future. Besides, this dude got the message I was portraying loud and clear. Without me uttering a word.
Eventually I moved away from this town, and this restaurant. All is not lost however, for my skills in the kitchen only became better. As did my taste buds and my ability to recreate things I eat out. Thus after some trial and error, I have figured out the recipe...more or less.
Basically, it is just like the tomato sauce recipe I posted several months back. There are only few key differences. One is that you use the entire plum tomato, seeds and all (my tomato sauce does not use the seeds). Secondly is the addition of lime juice. Thirdly, and most importantly, is the addition of hot peppers. I like to use Red Habanero. You may also add fresh cilantro if you like. However, I do not believe this is necessary.
Overall, it's a great tasting hot sauce. I've used on the Taco's I've made as well as many other foods. I've mixed it in with ground meats for a little different flavor. Really there are many uses.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
OK...here is the recipe.
Ingredients
→ 2 plum tomatoes
→ boxed finely chopped tomatoes
→ garlic
→ scallion
→ chive
→ shallot
→ white onion
→ 1 Red Habanero pepper
→ juice from a lime
→ paprika
→ salt
→ pepper
→ basil
→ oregano
Why boxed finely chopped tomatoes…? Because they are extremely red in color, and I wanted an extremely red in color sauce. Why paprika…? Because paprika is extremely red in color, and I wanted an extremely red in color sauce. Oh, and paprika I find adds a depth of flavor in my opinion.
Fresh, ripe tomatoes are not as red…in color. Unless you decide to blanch them, but that will take too much time for me. Maybe one day I will try that as an experiment since I don't know that they will deepen in color. These super red, finely chopped boxed tomatoes are always in the fridge. When I first made this sauce years ago, I just decided to use what was available. And I liked it, so I kept it in.
Why all the chive, shallots, scallion…? Because they are all in the onion family, flavor wise. I feel like just using onion alone will only be giving a narrow type onion flavor. Adding the chive, shallots, and scallions take that narrowband of flavor and make it much wider. Your taste buds will gracefully arrive to the sharp flavor of the white onion by way of all the others since they are more mild in terms of onioniness (just made that word up thank you).
And everything else is fairly standard. Well perhaps my method of putting it all together is not, so stay with me until the end.
I make this sauce with a small food processor. If you do not have access to one, you can finely chop all the ingredients individually. Then, use the flat side of the knife you chopped everything up with to crush to smear it with some salt. The grains of salt will help grind everything up into a paste of sorts, along with the pressure of the flat blade knife. Also, if you use the non-food processor method, use finely chopped boxed tomatoes. For now, I will assume you are using a food processor as I do.
OK here we go.
Instructions
Step 1:
Cut washed and dried fresh tomatoes into quarters lengthwise. Add them to the food processor.
Step 2:
Poor in an equal amount of boxed tomato.
Step 3:
Take the white onion, cut out a wedge from roughly 1/8th of it (half of ¼). Take the shallot, cut out a wedge from roughly ¼ of it. Take one stalk of scallion, cut out only the white bit of it. Take three or four stalks of chive and a medium-sized clove of garlic. Cut in half the red habanero pepper, remove the green stem. Keep the seeds. Add all these into the food processor.
Step 4:
Add a dash of salt, pepper, and paprika. Add a little fresh basil and oregano if you have it. If not, add a dash of dried basil and oregano.
Step 5:
Add roughly 1 – 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the juice from half a lime.
Step 6:
Blitz all of these in the food processor until it reaches a texture and consistency you like. You won’t get the finest purée due to the seeds of the tomato. Think heartier of a texture.
Step 7:
Next is the most important step, tasting. Now, for this bit it really helps to know what every ingredient tastes like on its own. So if you are unfamiliar, taste a small bit of everything by their lonesome. Especially with the onion things, just a piece the size of your fingertip will suffice. Extra virgin olive oil has a distinct flavor as well, so you can dip the tip of your finger in some and give that a taste. It's important to know what everything tastes like on its own, or you won't know what or how to adjust this sauce.
Alright, so during the initial tasting process is when you decide what it needs. Generally, if there is too much of any herb, spice, onion, or garlic, then you can add more boxed tomatoes to dilute everything. Obviously, if not enough of anything is coming through than add more of it. Texturally, I do not like a very loose sauce. If you are the same, then easy with adding EV olive oil and lime juice during this step.
Ideally, there shall exist a good balance of all flavors involved with an acceptable texture and color. Even though this is a condiment, making this bold in flavor is acceptable in my opinion. This is what made me fall in love with it in the first place.
In terms of heat, I generally put in one entire red habanero pepper. Since I don’t know your preference level, I started you off with half. Go at your own pace here.
OK…final step.
Step 8:
Allow everything to set for 20 minutes or so before using.
And that’s it…!
Delicious. Nutritious. Healthy for you…!
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