There are many southern specialties that are well known across the nation: bbq, grits, and fried chicken just to name a few. One not so well known item is pepper sauce. I know this because I searched many popular recipe sites to find a way to turn my abundance of serrano peppers into this southern style seasoning and only found recipes for hot sauce. Pepper sauce is not hot sauce. Basically it is peppers that have marinated over time in vinegar and therefore the vinegar becomes hot like the peppers. You can eat the peppers, but the vinegar is most often used as a seasoning over bitter greens like collards or turnip greens. Making pepper sauce was the first suggestion my grandmother had when I told her I had more peppers than I knew what to do with. Of course, I don't eat any kind of greens, but I make a lot of marinades and I think the pepper infused vinegar would be a great addition. Not to mention it just looks pretty sitting on my kitchen counter!
I found recipes on www.southernkitchen.blogspot.com and www.thesoutherndish.com and merged them. Next I am going to use my extra peppers to infuse olive oil. :)
Southern Pepper Sauce
peppers, any kind you like or any combination thereof
white vinegar
glass bottle with cap
Measure how much vinegar you need for your bottle and remember the peppers will take up some room as well. Bring the vinegar to a boil and reduce to a simmer while you prepare the peppers. You don't really have to do anything other than wash the peppers, but I chose to prick each one several time with a straight pin so they would release their hotness quicker. Add the peppers to the bottle then pour in the vinegar. The longer it sits the better it will be! No refrigeration is necessary!
2 comments:
This is the coolest thing ever - I didn't even know this was something that could be made at home!
VERY pretty indeed! And it reminds me of this hot chili oil I love at a pizza place I go to. Maybe I should do the same with oil instead of vinegar!
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