Pineapple Jalapeño Hot Sauce

It’s that time of year again. Time to make the hot sauce!

This year I wanted to do a little twist on my usual plain old jalapeño hot sauce. And to be honest, I wanted to use up the pineapple juice that I had stashed away in the pantry that I was using to make popsicles for the littles all summer. But mostly it’s because pineapple and jalapeño are a fantastic flavoring pairing and I knew that adding the pineapple to the hot sauce would only be a great idea.

A great idea it was.

This hot sauce is basic. Hot peppers, vinegar, and a little onion, garlic, and salt. The pineapple juice adds more body, some sweetness, and just a nice undertone of pineappleiness that you didn’t know you really wanted. It is really really good. And about the jalapeños. They are one of those peppers that can be pretty mild but also can get pretty dang hot. I am not sure of the variety that I have been picking at that farm for the past few years (that is where I get my peppers), but they are always on the pretty dang hot side so my hot sauces always have a good amount of kick to them. If you find your peppers to be a little too mild for you, well go ahead and add a few habaneros to the mix.

Now to the hot sauce!

The stuff. Jalapeños of course (green, red, or both. I picked both), an onion, a couple cloves garlic, pineapple juice, white vinegar, and salt.

Chop onion and garlic up into chunks on the small side.

Jalapeños. Chop them up. You want to get rid of the stems and depending on how hot you want your sauce, you might want to remove the seeds and ribs. I don’t bother because we like it hot, but also it’s annoying. HA.

Note. When dealing with any hot peppers, make sure to not touch your face during or after. You will feel it. They are hot.

Toss it all into a pot. Sprinkle with salt and add a splash of water. Place on stove on medium heat to give the peppers and onion a little head start on cooking.

After softening the peppers and onions for about 10 minutes, add the liquid.

Partially cover with a lid and simmer the peppers until they are fall apart tender. Probably about 35-40 minute.

Peppers so soft, ready to go.

Let it cool a few minutes then dump it all Into a blender. Blend until completely blended.

Smooth as smooth can be.

Taste it (like dip a carrot of a piece of bread into it) and add more salt if nessacery. Also, if it is too thick for your liking, add a little water to thin it out.

Now bottle it up!

Hot hot hot sauce for the taking.

And look here, enough for you and maybe even a friend or two… Holidays are coming!

Enjoy the sauce!

-C

---

Pineapple Jalapeño Hot Sauce

makes between 5-6 cups

• 25-30 good sized jalapeños (green or red or both)

• 2-3 cloves garlic

• 1 medium yellow or white onion

• 2 cups pineapple juice or puree

• 2 cups white vinegar

• 2 teaspoons salt

• water

Cut the onion into small chunks and roughly mince the garlic. Grab jalapeños and remove stems. Remove seeds and ribs if you want less heat in the sauce, then chop into small pieces. Place the onion, garlic, and peppers into a big pot with a splash of water. Sprinkle with salt and stick on stove on medium heat and cook for 5-10 minutes or until you can smell the onion and peppers starting to cook.

Dump in the pineapple juice and 1/2 the vinegar. Stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, partially cover then reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 30-40 minutes or until peppers are very tender.

NOTE.. Have a window open or exhaust fan going.. the fumes are spicy!

Once peppers have soften, remove form heat and let cool a few minutes. Dump or scoop the contents of pot into a blender. Add in the remaining vinegar and blend until very smooth. Once blended, taste and season with more salt if needed. Also if the consistency is to thick for your liking, add in a little water to thin out.

And then bottle it. Whatever sized jars you like, just make sure the lids are not metal if you can avoid it. The acidity of the vinegar will corrode the metal.

Add a label, stick in fridge, and eat on whoever the heck you want! (Also makes a great gift and there is defiantly enough here to give some away!)

Note. It only gets better with age!

Jalapeño Lime Corn Milk Biscuits

I really am just trying to find new ways to use up as much corn as I can. The mr won't really eat it (he says he hates it, but doesn't really, but is now really not eating it) and the littles can only eat so much. I have some in the fridge pickled, some in the freezer, and yet every time I come home from farm share I end up brining like 15 more pieces home with me. So I had to get a little crafty with this last batch. I milked it and made biscuits. And it was exactly the right thing to do. Making corn milk was genius (which makes me a genius?) and I am now going to be baking everything with it until I use up all the corn. 

These biscuits are very versatile, like all good biscuits should be. I served them to Barb and the mr with chili and of course they loved them but also I smothered raspberry jam all over a few and the mr was into that. Butter or almond butter too, or just plain. They can be eaten in all sorts of yummy ways.  And if you really are into the corn milk part but not the jalapeño or lime-ness of the biscuit, just don't add that stuff in. A simple corn milk biscuit would be just fine too.  Aaannd if you have a corn hater in the house, they still will probably like theses, or so this goes my experience, although I still don't think he hate corn. But what do I know? 

To the biscuits.

The stuff. Corn, soy milk, a lime, a few jalapeños, and earth balance. In the bowl we have some  flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Cook tha corn. A quick few minutes in boil water will do the trick. 

Get all that corn off those cobs. Sure you can nibble, it's hard not to. 

Fresh corn and soy milk go into the blender and blended until all smooth and creamy. Taste it.. it is pretty creamy dreamy.  

That is the corn milk. You could drink it just like this and it would not be weird. It is delicious. 

Get you jalapeños, remove seeds, and give them a good small dice and toss them into the bowl with the flours and stuff. Also zest the lime into the bowl with the flour.

Cold plant butter goes in first and cut in (I used fork, but you could use a pastry blender) until the dough looks crumbly. Add in the corn milk and the juice from the lime  and gently stir to just combined.

Dump the dough onto a floured surface and gather it all together then lightly press it down until  it's about an inch thick. 

This is the best part, ( Because I love the look of the cut out dough.. It apeals to me in some great way that I don't yet understand) cut the biscuits. I went and grabbed a biscuit cutter which I barely ever use, so that was a win.

Once you cut out the first biscuits, you can gather the dough and gently press it back together and cut out  more until you use all the dough.

Place the cut out biscuits on a baking sheet and brush the tops brushed with a little corn milk then into the hot oven they go.

Out they come looking all biscuity and such.. And don't mind the red reflection. That be my shirt. Note to self and to all. Don't wear red while taking pictures with reflective materials. 

Letting the biscuits be cool, just for a few minutes.

Still slightly warm all cozied together. 

Nothing like a basket of biscuits to make people happy.

-C

---

Jalapeño Lime Corn Milk Biscuits 

makes about 15 smaller biscuits 

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 ears of corn
• 1 cup soy milk
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon baking podwer
• 1/2 teaspoon basking soda 
• 1/4 cup  cold vegan butter
• 2 jalapeños 
• I lime 

Cook corn by removing husks and  dropping into a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes. When corn is cooked, remove from water and allow to cool.  Once cooled enough to handle, cut all the corn off the cob and place into the blender with the soy milk. Blend until smooth. It should measure out to be a little more then 2 cups. If you have less, add in more soy milk until is measures 2 cups.  Place corn milk in fridge for at least 1/2 hour to cool. 

Preheat oven to 450.

Place flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder into a large bowl. Zest the lime in as well and mix it all together. Grab jalapeños, cut in half, remove seeds, then dice into very small pieces. Mix those into mixture.  Now cut in the butter with either a fork or pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly. Add in juice of the lime and 2 cups of  the cooled corn milk and mix until just barley incorporated.

Dump the mixture onto a flour surface. Gather it al together and then press it flat until its about an inch thick. With a biscuit cutter, or a knife if you want square biscuits, cut out biscuits. If you use a cutter, place cut biscuits onto a baking sheet then gather the remaining dough and gently press back together and cut out more biscuits until dough is used up.  Once all the biscuits are on the baking sheet, brush the tops with corn milk  if you have a little left over or just plain soy milk then place them into the hot oven.

Bake for 17-22 minutes or until the biscuits are a nice golden brown. Once baked, remove from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool, or toss into basket with a tea towel and serve warm.

Then eat them.

Hot Sauce

Have I told you that my CSA is totally awesome? Well, if I haven't yet, consider yourself  told. Anyway, one of the coolest thing that the farm does  for it's members is they plant a variety of pick your own crops. There are strawberries, beans, tomatoes, herbs, flowers, and some other stuff. We also get to pick hot peppers.  Yes. Lot and lots of hot peppers. And not just jalapeños. They have like 5 different varieties, inching habanero. And there are a ton.  SO many, in fact, that I don't even bother picking the amount that I am allowed. (15 hot peppers a week.. my butthole would kill me) But I did pick a bunch (I went with the red jalapeños which are mother f-ing HOT) and made me some hot oh hot sauce!

Note to anyone that is handling hot peppers. Watch where you stick your hands. I cut up jalapeños a lot, and most of the time I am pretty good about not touching anything, but once in a while I will cut up a pepper, not wash my hands, then maybe scratch my leg.. Then I might rub my eyes, or pick my nose (might to might not happened) And it's not instantaneous. It starts low and slow, then all of a sudden, you shit is burning and your like "What the Hell!! I am on FIRE!. And then you might thick to yourself "Oh shit, do I have a flesh eating virus?  Should I be concerned?"  (Me after a particularly itchy night, making some salsa,. Good thing the mr was there ego tell me I was being a dumb ass and cutting up peppers at dinner) So yeah. not flesh eating virus, but never the less, don't touch!

Now lets make so Freaking HOT SAUCE! 

The stuff. ! butt load of red jalapeños (you can use green), a red bell pepper, an onion, a few cloves of garlic, salt, vinegar, oil and water. 

Grab yourself a big pot, roughly chop up the onion and garlic and toss it into that pot with a drizzle of olive oil and a few splsahes of water. Stick it on the stove on medium heat and let cook while you cut up the peppers. 

So the peppers. First thing first…..Coat your hands with oil (or use gloves) and don't touch anything on you body! This is a critical  if you do not want you hands, then your face, probably part of you leg, and definitely behind you ears , to burn like a mother.

Now cut the stems off, slice the peppers in half and remove the seeds and ribs. I find using a big spoon to scoop and scrap the seeds and ribs out to work the best, but do it any way you please. Also leave the seed sin rips in if you want.. it just makes the sauce that much hotter. (I would usually but again, these peppers are fire f-ing hot!)

Once de-seeded and ribbed, chop up the pepper and the jalapeños into chunks.

Toss into the pot with the onions and garlic thats on the stove and add in water and a sprinkle of salt. Stick back on stove, bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and stick a lid on pot.

After about 25 minutes or so, the peppers are soft and falling apart and the liquid has reduced to about 1/2… Thats when is time...

Note. Watch you face when you open you pot to check.. Don't stick you face in the pot as soon as you remove the lid, or you will get a ace of spicy hot stem that will burn your eyeballs.

Now dump it all in,including liquid ,into a blender. Add in 1/2 cup of vinegar and a sprinkle of salt then turn it on. (Make sure to have the lid on… no one wants to clean up a hot sauce mess!) Blend for however long it takes for the sauce to be smooth.

Super smooth and saucy.. Give it a taste. Does it need more vinegar? How about a little more salt? Are you wishing you had a little more sweetness to it? Add what you need.. More vinegar, more salt, or a teaspoon or two of some honey or sugar.. it is your hot sauce after all.

And when you are happy with the taste.. pour into bottles. And then pour in everything!

Happy Friday..Make it hot!

-C

---

Hot Sauce 

Makkes about 4 cups

• 15-18 jalapeños
• 4-5 cloves galric
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow onion
• 1/2-1 cup white vinegar
• 2 cups water
• salt (to taste)
• oil or rubber gloves 

Dice the onion and garlic and stick not a heavy bottom pot with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and a splash of water. Place on low heat and let cook.

After thats on the stove oil you hands, and de-stem the jalapeños and the red pepper, removing the seeds and ribs. IF you want, you can totally leave the seeds and ribs in if you want, it makes the sauce even hotter. 

Chop peppers into smallish chunks and toss into the pot writ the galic and onion. Add about 2 cups or so of water, bring to a boil, then let simmer for about 25-30 minutes, or until the peppers are nice and soft.

Dump peppers into a blender  with 1/2 cup of vinegar and blend. Taste the sauce, and if you like it there, stop, or add in more if you taste wants it. You can also add in more salt, maybe some other flavor spices, or even a little honey to sweeten it a bit.

Pour into containers and enjoy! 

This sauce will last sat least 4 months in the fridge (If not eaten all by then)

Jalapeño Jam

I have been meaning to make this jam for a while now. I'll buy a bunch of jalapeños, then slowly, before I get to cooking them down, end up eating them all. But not today, and the rewards are great, Fresh jalapeño jam. So much potential for the greatest of things (I am thinking mango jalapeño sorbet… no, I am making jalapeño mango sorbet) And if you, like me are a jalapeño fan, this is going to make your life amazing. You will find yourself jamming up everything, or maybe just eating it with a spoon.

Whatever you want to do with it, just make it. 

Honey and jalapeños.. All you need, well a little salt and water too, but that's it.

What you need to do is remove the stems,, most of the ribs and half of the seeds removed. (You could remove all or none of the seeds depending on you heat preference) Chop the peppers into small chunks, toss into a pot, sprinkle with a bit of salt, add in a splash of water. Place the pot on medium heat. Top it with a lid, and give the peppers a good stir every few minutes. While the peppers are cooking, you want to make sure the bottom isn't sticking and buringin. If that starts to happen, just turn the heat down a bit and add in a little splash more of water.

After about 20 minutes, the peppers are fully cooked and falling apart. The liquid is cooked down and the peppers are starting to caramelize on the bottom of the pan. When that happened, remove the pot from heat.

Now you can either blend the peppers, mash the peppers with a fork, or leave it chunky. Thats a choice Ill leave to you. ( I like to blend, but keep some chunks)

And drizzle in a bit o honey. As little or as much as you like.

And scoop into a jar. Eat the jam on anything you want. (I found myself eating it with a spoon)

Keep it Real!

-C

---

Jalapeño Jam

Makes about 1 1/2 cups of jam

• 10 large jalapeño peppers
• a pinch of salt
• About 1 tablespoon of honey, but add more if you like (And if you want to keep it vegan, use agave or sugar)

Wash, remove ribs and most seeds (the more seeds you leave the hotter it will be) and dice jalapenos into small chunks. Place in a pot with a few splashes of water and a sprinkle of salt. Turn on medium heat and cover, stirring every few minutes. If the peppers seem to be sticking  o the pot and burning, turn heat down and add another splash of water. After about 20 minutes, the peppers should be really tender and falling apart. The liquid should be completely cooked out and the peppers will start to caramelized at the bottom of the pot. When that starts to happen, remove from heat.  Now either mash with a fork, blend with a hand blender, or leave superr chunky. Drizzle in honey (or sweetener) and stir. 

Eat right away or stick in a jar and store in the fridge for up to a week (It won't last that long)

Pico de Gallo… Super Freshy Salsa

 Happy Cinco de Mayo! And what better day to share my version of  my oh so fantastic pico de gallo, or as I call it, super freshy salsa.

I love me some freshy salsa, It makes me oh so happy. 

 I make this stuff all the time, especially during the warmer months and tomato season. I usually make a batch right before a meal, just enough to eat right away, but sometimes I 'll make a big batched of it, thinking I'll save some for the next day.   It never makes it past the second day in the fridge because it's just one of those things that when you see it, you want to eat it. Weird but true. And it's totally ok to do so cause it's basically eating a big bowl of healthy goodness, so eat on!

It takes no time to prepare, tastes super refreshing, goes on everything, and it's just so freaking tasty. You can eat it with tacos and chips (the mister) or like me, I like to add it to everything; salads, popcorn, or directly in my mouth. 

Make one batch, make 4, it doesn't matter cause you will eat it all, and need to make more.

The stuff. Chopped Roma tomatoes, chopped red onion, a diced jalapeño, lemon, a bunch of cilantro, and salt.

Stick all the chopped stuff into a jar and add in the juice of the lemon. Roughly chop the cilantro and add that on in with a sprinkle of salt. 

Mix it up….And thats it. Now eat… with something or without.

A spoon out of the jar is one of my favorite ways to go at it.

Happy Cinco de Mayo, Happy Tuesday!

-C

---

Pico de Gallo… Freshy Salsa

• 4-5 Roma Tomatoes
• 1 small red onion
• 1-2 jalapeños (Depending on heat preference)
• 1 lemon or lime
• salt
• 1 bunch of cilantro (don't use it if you don't like it)

Chop tomatoes and onion and toss into a bowl or jar.  Cut seeds from jalapeño(s) and dice up into little bitty pieces and add that to the tomato and onion. Roughly chop the cilantro and toss that in as well with the juice of the lemon or lime. Sprinkle with salt. Stir, let sit for a minutes, taste and then add more salt if needed. 

Eat right away or make ahead and store in the fridge until ready to use.

Goes great with corn chips, tacos, toss onto salads or eat as is standing in front of the fridge. If someone is judging you, they are stupid.