Fall Harvest Hot Sauce

Ingredients

• ●1 pound mixed fall peppers (cayenne, Fresno, habanero, jalapeño — whatever the harvest gives you)
• ●1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
• ●4 cloves garlic, peeled
• ●1 small onion, quartered
• ●120 ml (½ cup) apple cider vinegar
• ●1 tablespoon honey
• ●1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ●½ teaspoon smoked paprika

Method

1. Wear gloves. Stem the peppers and halve them lengthwise. Leave seeds in for heat, remove some for a milder sauce.
2. Roast the peppers, carrot, garlic, and onion on a sheet pan at 200°C (400°F) for 20 to 25 minutes until charred at the edges.
3. Transfer everything to a blender. Add the apple cider vinegar, honey, salt, and smoked paprika. Blend until smooth.
4. Pour into a small saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Taste and adjust salt, vinegar, and honey. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve for a smooth pour, or leave it rustic.
6. Bottle in clean jars or hot sauce bottles.
7. *Storage:** Refrigerate for up to 3 months. The vinegar acts as a natural preservative.
8. *Seasonal note:** Use whatever peppers you grew or find at the market. A blend of heat levels makes the most interesting sauce — some habanero for fire, some Fresno for fruitiness, some jalapeño for green pepper flavor. Label your bottles and warn your family.
9. Want the fermented version? It takes 7 to 14 days and develops complex, tangy, probiotic-rich flavor that this quick-cook version can't match. You'll find it in Fermented & Cultured.*