Monday, August 25, 2008

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

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

12 comments:

Veggienetters said...

This looks super yummmmy nummmmy. I love hot stuff even if my tummy doesn't! I have this stuff that is Apple Cider Vinegar with Habs and it is awesome! Thanks for this recipe. :) I love your blog!

Pavani said...

That looks red hot and delicious. I made your Thai broccoli salad for Taste & Create and loved it.. I'm finishing up the leftovers as I type. Check out my blog when you get a chance. cooks-hideout.blogspot.com.

Carrie said...

That looks so good! I love spicy food!

Courtney said...

wow, this is a scary recipe! i used what i think were habaneros the other day, and managed to put in only 1/2 of one before it became so hot that i coudln't stand it. i think i have a relatively high threshold for heat, but this would blow me out of the water! i could make it for my hubby though... :)

Cynthia said...

2 cups of chopped habanero pepper - now you're talking my kind of heat!

Anonymous said...

Adobo seasoning.
Hmm.. In our place, it's more like a curry paste mix but different.

The difference is, they don't use Adobo, they use Fermented Shrimp paste =)

Laura Paterson said...

I adore habeneros - and this is an awesome recipe!

Feel the burn and eat it anyway ;)

Fiber said...

Veggienetters - I love anything with habaneros!

Pavani - I'm glad you enjoyed it. I haven't made that salad in a long time but I'll have to put it back on the list to be made soon.

Carrie - you and me both. The hotter the better!

Courtney - the 2 cups does sound very scary, but the simmering really helps to mellow the heat. It's definitely not as hot as I thought it would be.

Cynthia - I wanted to add more but I thought I should pace myself for the first batch. I think I'll make a "Super Fire" batch with more next!

Food Central - I love Adobo Seasoning. I often try and use it in place of regular salt since it's such a nice round flavor.

Kittie - I agree! It's almost addictive once you start eating hot stuff.

Larry said...

WOWBANERO !!! Looks fantastic, and I can't wait to take the bait. I make a habanero orange sauce that is GREAT, but looks pale in comparison to this salsa! Also, as crazy as it seems I feel like the habanero's nutritional is also "OFF THE CHARTS".
Thanks in advance.

Maria said...

Hi there I have just come across your recipe and just want to know can I preserve the salsa and for how long?

Maria said...

Hi there I have just come across your salsa recipe and was wondering if I can preserve it and for how long?

Maria said...

Hi there I have just come across your salsa recipe and was wondering if I can preserve it and for how long?