Pepper Sauces

Southern Hot Pepper Sauce

You can make this pepper sauce with any peppers.  I like the mild banana peppers, but my sons like the fire of a really hot pepper.  Suite your own taste.  The peppers flavor the vinegar, then you use the vinegar over black eye peas, greens, barbeque, anything you put vinegar on.  (Try potato chips!)  Here is the EASY recipe:

Peppers to suite your taste, 2-3 or more
Cider Vinegar to fill container

1.  Put the peppers into a sterile cruet or jar.  Use 2-3, or fill the jar full to suite your own taste.
2.  Bring the vinegar to a boil, and pour over the peppers. (Careful, boiling vinegar is pungent stuff.)
3. Store in the fridge or place in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes to seal the jar. (see note below)
3.  Wait a few days for the flavors to develop.  The longer it sits the better.
4.  Drizzle over peas, greens, or barbeque.  Enjoy!
5.  When your supply gets low, you can just add more vinegar (assuming you haven’t eaten the peppers), however the flavor will dilute a bit each time you refill.

NOTE: New USDA guidelines call for processing the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. While most older recipes don’t call for this step, it is best to follow USDA guidelines on food safety.

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Habenero Pepper Sauce

12 habenero peppers stemmed chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup distilled vinegar
2 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup lime juice

1. Saute the onion and garlic in oil until soft; add the carrots with a small amount of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until carrots are soft.

2. Place the mixture and raw chilies into a blender and puree until smooth. Don’t cook the peppers, since cooking reduces flavor of the Habeneros.

3. Combine the puree with vinegar and lime juice, then simmer for 5 minutes and seal in sterilized bottles. This recipe yields 2 half-pints. Heat index: Sauce is 9 on a heat scale of 1-10.