Habanero Garlic Salsa

Although I'm definitely a lover of summer, there is something I love about the end of the season. See, I'm a city dweller, which means I have no space for a garden. Thankfully, I have enough friends who love to garden so I'm always standing with open arms for any handouts from their land.

There's a friend of the family who is an excellent gardener and he always supplies us with fresh hot peppers. There are some of your general habaneros and jalapenos, but he always has quite a few other varieties growing. My mother and I, who both love hot stuff, are always ready for part of his garden's bounty. This year, he supplied us with some lovely lovely habaneros, as well as some blood-red and juicy tomatoes. I knew I wanted to make some sort of hot sauce, incorporating both things.

My inspiration came from a jar of habanero garlic sauce I randomly picked up in the grocery store. It was one of those gourmet brands, and oh what a flavor! I immediately came home and tried to recreate it. Not only did I hit the flavor points right on the head, but I think this version is even better! I will warn you this is one of the hottest hot sauces in the 28 Cooks' repertoire, but if you're a hot lover, you will adore this. Although I used 2 cups of mostly chopped habaneros, which I didn't seed, please feel free to substitute peppers that are milder if you want a sauce that won't scorch your face off! This salsa is excellent with tortilla chips and would be perfect served with burritos and fish tacos.



Habanero Garlic Salsa
Makes 6 cups

2 cups chopped habanero peppers
8 cups chopped and seeded tomatoes
2 cups chopped yellow onion
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Adobo seasoning
1 (15.9 oz) can tomato sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until an almost-smooth texture. Pour into a large pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally until mixture has thickened.

Looking for more hot stuff??
*Basil Habanero Pesto
*Harissa
*7-Pepper Hot Sauce*Red Chili Sauce
*Hot Pepper and Garlic Jelly
*Cranberry Jalapeno Spread