Hatch Pepper Hot Sauce

It is that time of year when the Hatch pepper from New Mexico graces the world's presence. It is a beautiful green pepper that can be roasted, toasted, grilled, stuffed, or used in just about anything. I never really knew about them until I saw them all over the place in Texas. More Facts about the Hatch Chile Pepper. Whole Foods Market makes a huge show at their market in downtown Austin - big old pick up truck out front with a lot of colorful signs. People here just celebrate everything. I love it.

So, I have been on an epic quest to find a good hot sauce, I know what I like, I know what it is very hard to find here (Texas Pete, which is actually made in NC), and now I am trying to make my own hot sauce. I have made my own sauces for just about everything else, why not this? Why have I not come to this decision until now? Oh yea, that damn bar exam. Well, I've decided I'm going to have a future with or without passing this bar right now, I am a great employee and I try really hard. And FYI, I am a smart cookie (no one is perfect right?).

Here is how I made my "Hatch Pepper Hot Sauce"
Ingredients:
6-8 fresh hatch peppers sliced and diced
1.5 cups of vinegar (I used apple cider, you can use whatever kind you like) 
2 cups of water 
8-10 cloves of garlic smashed and peeled 
1 teaspoon of black pepper corns 
1 tablespoon salt (you can half this) 
1 tablespoon local honey (you can double this) 
1/2 of a large yellow onion (you can substitute this with a shallot) 
1 tablespoon asian chili oil 
1-2 teaspoons garlic powder 

Directions: Add everything into the pot and let it come to a boil. Let it reduce by about half (prob 10-20  minutes) and let it cool. If you have a hand blender you can just put it in there and go to town and make a puree. If you don't, you want to let your sauce cool slightly before adding it to a blender or food processor as it WILL somehow get on you. Blend it to a nice even puree.

At this point, you can give it a taste and decide how you want your sauce to move forward. To be safe though, you want to let it cool or sit over night and let those flavors really sink in. Now, I wanted a little more umph to mine - so I added a few more peppers (2) and a little more honey and a little more vinegar, water, and a pinch of salt. I brought it back up to a boil, let it reduce again, and I will be putting in the fridge over night.

So, you let it cool over night, and then you can strain it to get all the seeds and chunky garlic, onions, and seeds out of there. This can be a frustrating process, but it is worth it.