Hot sauce is a ubiquitous condiment found around the world. One of my favorite things about traveling is trying hot sauces in different countries- Panama's "Killin' me man" Sauce, Samoa's "Samoa's own" chili sauce, homemade salsa in Mexico, chili paste in Korea, Puerto Rico's "Pique Criollo", and pretty much any other home made sauce found in hole-in-the-wall restaurants. Why shouldn't I invent my own variety?
The Process: I decided to use habanero peppers, which are among the spiciest sold in grocery stores. I have a little vodka recipe I've been making for years, which involves putting several pineapple slices and some cut up habanero peppers in a bottle of vodka, letting it sit for a few days, then serving potent, spicy pineapple martinis to willing guests. Given my affinity for habanero peppers and tropical fruit, it seemed fitting that I create a hot sauce from these ingredients. I did a few google searches but it seemed easiest to just invent something rather than follow any recipe.
The Recipe:
Easy! I sauteed a diced onion, several garlic cloves, and a julienne'd ripe mango (we recently invested in a mandoline vegetable slicer making the kitchen an even more fun and dangerous place to be) in olive oil, added a sprinkle of salt and 7 or 8 loosely chopped habanero peppers. (I wore rubber gloves.) Then, I pureed the mixture in my food processor, and returned the mixture to the stove, and added a splash of vinegar. I tasted it, added a bit more salt, and deemed it perfect. (Nathan did not. His tongue burnt for hours. I might take this opportunity to suggest that you add 2 or 3 habanero peppers if you live with a spice-sensitive individual. I think I'll be the only one consuming this sauce.)
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