Saba Scotch Bonnet Sauce

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From the Netherlands Antilles' island of Saba comes this simple, 
steeped hot sauce that graces seafood dishes or simple rice. Malt 
vinegar, made from malted barley, is the secret taste ingredient. 
Because of the vinegar, this sauce can be kept for a month or so in the 
refrigerator.

Ingredients

1 Scotch bonnet chile (or habanero), seeds and stem removed, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup malt vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

Place the chile, onion, and garlic in a small bowl and mix well. Combine 
the vinegar, water and salt in a saucepan and bring to a strong boil. 
Add the boiling mixture over the chile mixture, stirring constantly. Add 
the oil and stir well.

Remoulade Sauce

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This is a classic Louisiana recipe with French roots. It’s traditionally 
made with mayonnaise, but mine is a more heart-healthy version. This 
sauce is great with shrimp, over sliced tomatoes, with pasta, over 
vegetables and cold meats, in chicken or potato salad, or as an 
ingredient in deviled eggs.

Ingredients

1/2 cup Creole mustard, store-bought or homemade
1/4 cup catsup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons grated horseradish, or substitute prepared horseradish, 
store-bought
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon ground paprika
1 teaspoon Louisiana-style hot sauce or substitute ground cayenne
2/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped celery
1 tablespoon minced capers
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Salt to taste

Instructions

Combine the mustard, catsup, vinegar, horseradish, Worcestershire, 
garlic, paprika, and hot sauce in a bowl and whisk to combine.
Slowly add the oil while continuing to whisk to emulsify the sauce.
Fold in the remaining ingredients, taste, and adjust the seasonings.
Allow the sauce to sit for an hour to blend the flavors.

Homemade Tabasco®-Style Sauce

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The U.S.A. has become one of the world's largest producers of hot sauces 
and the flagship of the hot sauce fleet is Tabasco®, which is exported 
all over the world from Avery Island, Louisiana. Because the chiles in 
mash form are not aged in oak barrels for three years, this recipe will 
be only a rough approximation of the famous McIlhenny product. You will 
have to grow your own tabascos or substitute dried ones that have been 
rehydrated. Other small, hot, fresh red chiles can also be substituted 
for the tabascos. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

1 pound fresh red tabasco chiles, chopped
2 cups distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

Combine the chiles and the vinegar in a saucepan and heat. Stir in the 
salt and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool, and place in 
a blender. Puree until smooth and place in a glass jar. Allow to steep 
for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Remove, strain the sauce, and adjust the consistency by adding more 
vinegar if necessary.

Keeping “Pace®” with Picante Sauces

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Although most commercial salsas and picante sauces are made from similar 
ingredients, their flavors differ because of spices, cooking techniques, 
and the proportion of ingredients. Perhaps this home-cooked version 
outdoes the original of the best-selling American salsa--you tell me. It 
is important to use only Mexican oregano, as Mediterranean oregano will 
make this taste like a pasta sauce.

Ingredients

6 to 8 ripe red tomatoes (about 4 pounds), peeled, seeded, and chopped fine
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt to taste
6 jalapeño chiles, seeds and stems removed, chopped

Instructions

In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine the tomatoes, onions, garlic, 
vinegar, oregano, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook 
for 15 minutes on medium heat to thicken the sauce.
Add the jalapeños and continue cooking for 15 more minutes. Remove from 
the heat, cool to room temperature, and serve with chips.

The Earliest Mole Sauce

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Why wouldn’t the cooks of the prehistoric, ash-covered village of Cerén 
in El Salvador have developed sauces to serve over meats and vegetables? 
After all, there is evidence that curry mixtures were in existence 
thousands of years ago in what is now India, and we have to assume that 
Native Americans experimented with all available ingredients. Perhaps 
this mole sauce was served over stewed duck meat, as ducks were one of 
the domesticated meat sources of the Cerén villagers.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons pumpkin or squash seeds (pepitas)
4 tomatillos, husks removed
1 tomato, roasted and peeled
1/2 teaspoon chile seeds, from dried chile pods
1 corn tortilla, torn into pieces
2 tablespoons red chile powder, such as New Mexican, guajillo, or Chimayó
1 teaspoon annatto seeds, or substitute achiote paste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 ounce Mexican chocolate; or substitute bittersweet chocolate

Instructions

Heat a heavy skillet over high heat; add the pumpkin seeds, and 
dry-roast until the seeds start to pop. Shake the skillet once they 
start to pop, continuing until they turn golden, about 3 to 5 minutes. 
Take care that they don’t darken and remove from the pan to cool 
completely. Place the seeds in a spice mill or coffee grinder and 
process to a fine powder.
Put the pumpkin seeds, tomatillos, tomato, chile seeds, tortilla, chile 
powder, and annatto or achiote in a blender or food processor and 
process, using just enough broth to form a paste.
Reheat the skillet over medium heat, add the oil, and when hot, add the 
paste. Fry the paste, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 4 minutes.
Whisk in the remaining chicken broth and the chocolate, and cook, 
stirring constantly, until thickened to desired consistency. If the 
sauce becomes too thick, thin with either broth or water.