Homemade Hot Sauce

Anyone who knows my sister and I, knows that we have a weak spot for Cholula Hot Sauce. Even the waiters at our favorite restaurant know to put a new bottle on our table when dinner is served. Though the bottle contains no preservatives or artificial ingredients, I still had no idea what 'xanthan gum' was on the ingredients list. Thus, begins my journey into making my own Homemade Hot Sauce!

I found several recipes online for hot sauce, but they all seemed to vary quite a bit. That said, I decided to make up my own, based on a few of the more notable recipe authors. I liked Emeril's method of simmering the peppers and garlic with water into a soft reduction before blending. I also was limited on the hot peppers I had to work with... I decided to buy from Kroger rather than a specialty store; I know better next time!

All-in-all, the sauce was really easy to make - it will just be a matter of adjusting the taste to my preference in the future. I cut the heat back a little too much by using a whole tomato - I will probably only add a small portion in the future. And more garlic... you can never go wrong with more garlic!

Enjoy!

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Homemade Hot Sauce
Prep Time: 5 min  | Cook Time: 20 min  | Ready In: 30 min

1 Pablano Pepper, seeded and sliced
5 Habanero Peppers, seeded and sliced
2 Red Chili Peppers, seeded and sliced
5 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1 cup Water
1/2 cup Distilled White Vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt
1 Small Tomato (optional)


1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, peppers and a dash of salt. Saute for about 3 minutes.

2. Add the water and bring mixture to a simmer, reducing the heat slightly if necessary. Simmer until the water is reduced to barely any and the peppers are soft (~15-20 minutes).

3. Remove the peppers and garlic from the heat and let cool for a few minutes.

4. Add the peppers/garlic mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth. Slowly add almost all the vinegar while running the blender. (leave some vinegar aside).

5. Add some salt to taste (in small amounts) and mix well.

6. (optional) Add diced tomato to the mixture and blend well. Add more vinegar to the mix until a smooth consistency is reached.
(If you wish to cut back the heat of the sauce, opt to add small amounts of diced tomato until desired taste is reached. I recommend adding small amounts at a time and taste testing. I initially added the whole tomato and I lost too much of the spicy heat that I like.)

7. Bottle the sauce, refrigerate and enjoy!