I’ve always loved hot sauce.
From the way I used to rain Tabasco down on just about everything I cooked, to my bizarre desire for sriracha on ice cream, it’s clear that hot sauce holds a warm place in my heart.
Over the years I’ve definitely become more prodigious with my use of it, but I still certainly prefer a bit of kick to my chow.
But it wasn’t until recently that I even considered trying to make my own. It’s kind of funny how we sometimes overlook the most mundane things we use in our daily lives (like condiments) and don’t consider how they came to be.
Around the time that it started to get colder in Toronto and the farmer’s markets were winding down, it occurred to me that I might want to try my hand at making a few of my own Foodie brand heat enhancers.
I chose sriracha because I already adore it, but I also opted to make some tomatillo salsa as well, since they are a vegetable I’ve never really worked with before.
I was amazed by how slimy the tomatillos were, and how much their texture reminded me of okra.
Once they were roasted though, they took on a wonderfully smoky, charred flavour that was really quite enticing.
And after they stewed together for a little while, they became a deliciously tart, tangy and spicy salsa that’s the perfect accompaniment to tamales, tortilla chips, and just about anything else you can think of.
But the real lesson that came out of all of this hot sauce/condiment making was that preparing hot sauces is just as addictive as eating them. Who knew? I may never go back to bottled sauces again.
Until next time…
Tags: Cooking, hot sauce, Preservation, salsa, sriracha, tomatillos
