Home Made Hot Green Pepper Sauce

I do like pickles, sauces and condiments. I love to make most of mine, but I do enjoy food markets, delis and being inspired by good chefs when we eat out.  Last year we picked up some excellent sauces made by Chef Antonio Paladino who also runs an enterprise promoting aquaponics.  Some time ago he came and gave our gardening group a talk on the topic.  He uses much of his produce to make into gourmet items, and we really enjoyed his Red Pepper Sauce and a Spicy Green Pepper Sauce.  I even kept the bottle with the label on in my empty jars cupboard to remind me of it.  

I happened to have picked up three large green sweet pepper at the market on Wednesday with a view to 'recreating' this sauce.  I trawled the internet for a recipe, but just could not find one which matched my expectations.  I was a little despondent but then pulled myself up by my own bootstraps, a saying my mother used to use.  I have made sauces before, for instance this favourite roasted red pepper and chilli sauce, of which the recipe is over on my other blog.

Using the ingredients listed on Antonio's bottle, I went ahead and imagined the best techniques.  I did not think roasting would suit the flavour.

I took the three large peppers, washed them, and then destalked, deseeded, and cut it into chucks.  Then I used one and a half medium sized white onions, and chopped them up, together with two small green chillies per large pepper, deseeded etc. With about a tablespoon of oil, and with the lid on' the lot was then slowly braised for about ten minutes.  At that stage it was late.  Why do I start these things late at night? I just turned off the heat and walked away.

The following morning, I  chose three  cloves of my new season garlic, added that to the onion and peppers, and slowly braised for a further fifteen minutes checking that nothing was browning or catching.  How much vinegar or sugar to add?  I decided at first to add just about enough to come up half way amongst the peppers, and cooked for a further ten minutes, with the lid off.

Just how much sugar and salt to add?  The best way is to taste, so I allowed the mixture to cool down after they had a good blitz with my hand held whizzer.  Had I a food processor then I would have used it and probably also sieved it.  No I do not wish for that contraption, or to wash a sieve afterwards.  I also felt it could be a tad hotter, so a further two small green peppers, were added and the whole cooked for a further ten minutes, before having a final blitz. with a little virgin olive oil. about 1 tablespoon full.  I suppose each pepper has a level of heat, and each person knows their own favourtie heat setting as far as sauces are concerned.

Gradually tasting I found about a dessert spoon of white granulated sugar per large greenpepper, and about a whole teaspoon of sea salt for the whole lot was perfect.  I did however feel there was something missing.  The original condiment used white malt vinegar, but I used my local Cider Vinegar.  I added the juice of a lime and its zest. It all needed just a little more cider vinegar to get to the right consistency, and another few minutes simmering.   

Oh my!  Perfect!  Everything was thoroughly heated before the bottles were filled and sealed.

 I don't have sufficient bottles at the moment, so a little sealed jar was filled.  

I can't quite say this is a recipe, but I think there are sufficient guidelines for this to be recreated.  We are going to visit the Farm as part of the Food Festival, and there will hopefully be other lovely sauces to buy, and maybe I will just be able to gather any hints.