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Gluten Free

Grilled Caribbean Pineapple Peppersauce.

I’m not a huge fan of ‘cooked’ pepper sauces (say peppersauce – one word), as I find that the cooking process subdue the true flavors of the ingredients, especially the peppers. So you’ll notice that most of the pepperauce (hot sauce) recipes I’ve shared over the years were mostly raw. However in this recipe the charring of the pineapple on a hot grill (propane, wood or charcoal) makes a huge difference in the overall flavor of the sauce.

You’ll Need…

30-40 scotch bonnet peppers
12-18 cloves garlic
3 leaves shado beni
1 ripe pineapple
1 teaspoon sea salt
2-3 cups white vinegar

Important: Please wear gloves and wash your hands with soap and water immediately after handling such HOT peppers.

How to tell if a pineapple is ripe and sweet.

Peel and slice the pineapple into 1 cm slices, then head over to your grill and grill over a 375-400 fire. Basically until you see the grill marks, it’s softened and the edges are a bit charred. This will help the natural sugars of the ripe pineapple to heighten and the sauce will also get a gentle kiss of smoke from the charred bits.

Set the grilled pineapple slices aside and lets start to work on the other ingredients.

WEAR GLOVES! Wash the peppers, remove the stems and give them a rough chop to help the food processor or blender that you’re using, to have an easier time making this into a sauce that we can bottle.

Now give the grilled pineapple slices a rough chop and place it into the food processor along with the other ingredients.

Yes, do give the garlic and Shado Beni a rough chop too.

Basically all you have to do now is pulse it until you get a consistency you like. For me it had to be a bit chunky.

Add more vinegar if you feel you need it a bit more runny and do puree completely if you wish.

Pour into sterilized glass container’s and store in a cool, dark spot in your kitchen for up to 6 months. Or in the fridge for at least a year. The vinegar will act as a natural preservative. Should you want to cook the sauce, bring it to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes (lid slightly ajar). Store the cooked version of the sauce in the fridge.

You may need to adjust the salt after a couple of days.. I do recommend giving the pepper sauce about 3 days to come together before using. So at this point you can taste and adjust the salt… especially if the pineapple you used was not fully ripe and there’s a tartness.

From experience I know that if you were to store it in the fridge, if may get less HOT over the months. DO NOT use a wet or dirty spoon when taking out of the glass container. Yes, Habanero peppers will work just as well and should you want to increase the heat level, toss in a few Scorpions, Reapers or any of those insanely hot peppers.

If you cannot source the shando beni, use cilantro.

Note! To tame the heat of the finished sauce, remove the seeds and white membrane surrounding the seeds and discard when you chop them. Drop me your comments below, tag me on Instagram and don’t forget you can now get my cookbook – The Vibrant Caribbean Pot, 100 Traditional And Fusion Recipes @ CaribbeanPot.com/CookBook/

Gluten Free Sauces & Condiments

Insanely Good Guava Peppersauce (hot-sauce).

guava pepper sauce (10)

While I don’t have immediate access to many of the fruits I grew up eating as a young fella on the islands, with many local groceries servicing the vibrant immigrant population in Ontario, there are times when I luck out. This time I came across ripe guavas (mind you they were not the best quality) at my favorite Asian market. Usually I’d make guava jam or guava cheese, but the amount of fruit required for those two recipes.. let’s just say my budget didn’t allow for it. So a fruity peppersauce came to mind.

You’ll Need…

10-15 hot peppers
2 cloves garlic (smashed)
6-8 guavas (ripe, seeded)
2 cups white vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
2 tablespoon honey
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 lime (juice)
2 slices ginger
1 teaspoon salt

* add brown sugar for a more sweet undertone

IMPORTANT! PLEASE wear gloves when handling these hot peppers and wash your hands immediately after with soap and water. If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to ensure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

For more heat add more hot peppers and for a more fruity/guava flavor, I’d recommend using more ripe guavas in the mix.

I kept the seeds of the peppers (I used a combination of extremely hot peppers) as I wanted the raw heat. Discard the seeds if you’d like it a bit more tame. Wash, remove the stems and rough-chop the peppers. Then cut the tips off the guavas, cut into 1/4’s and remove/discard the seeds (if there are any blemishes on the skin of the guava, cut off and discard). Add both to a saucepan, along with the vinegar, raisins, salt, ginger slices and molasses. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a very gentle simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes with the pan covered (slightly ajar). I’d recommend turning the fan on over your stove or open the windows in your kitchen.

guava pepper sauce (1)

guava pepper sauce (2)

guava pepper sauce (3)

guava pepper sauce (4)

guava pepper sauce (5)

Turn off the stove and allow it to cool. Then remove the ginger slices and discard… place in a blender and puree until relatively smooth (you can personalize it by leaving it a texture you like).

guava pepper sauce (6)

Return back to the saucepan, add the honey and lime juice, stir well and bring back to a simmer. Cook for 5-7 mins on a low heat.

guava pepper sauce (7)

guava pepper sauce (8)

Store in a clean glass container with a lid (if you use plastic the scent/taste will remain permanently) and store in the fridge. Yes it can stay outside the fridge for about a week or two, however in the fridge it will last a couple months easily.

guava pepper sauce (9)

This Guava hot sauce is excellent on grilled meats and vegetables, on your morning eggs and just about anywhere you’d normally add a spicy condiment. If you’re wondering how this would taste.. fiery, with a sort of bbq sauce undertone and overall fruitiness from the guava and sugar elements.

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Gluten Free Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

Blueberry Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Peppersauce Recipe (Moruga Scorpion hot sauce).

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Peppersauce Recipe (9)

My passion for peppersauce (homemade hot sauces) is fueled by having been surrounded by very creative peppersauce makers even as a little boy on the islands, but more importantly… my daughters possess the same sort of intense affection for the fiery stuff as I do. There’s no better motivation than having those close to you share the same traits, so when you get creative in the kitchen, you know it’s something you will connect with as a family. With the use of the Trinidad Moruga Scorpions which at the time of making this sauce is the 2nd hottest pepper in the world, you’re getting a hot sauce which should be used with extreme caution. But I find that by using the blueberries, you get a lovely fruity roundness.

You’ll Need…

6 scorpion peppers
2 cups blueberries
2 oranges (juice)
2 scallion
1/4 brown sugar
1 lime (juice)
1/2 cup vinegar

optional – honey – cinnamon – allspice

Note: If doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

IMPORTANT! Be sure to wear gloves when handling the peppers and wash your hands immediately after with soap and water. I would also recommend having your kitchen window open and the stove exhaust fan on while cooking the sauce.

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Peppersauce Recipe (1)

Give the peppers and scallions,  a rough chop.. include the seeds if you REALLY want the HEAT! Then place all the ingredients in a saucepan on a low heat and bring to a simmer. Cook/simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Then allow to cool before you place in the blender or food processor.

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Peppersauce Recipe (2)

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Peppersauce Recipe (4)

The blueberries will breakdown along with the peppers and the other ingredients will incorporate for a very tasty (but HOT) chunky sauce as this point. As mentioned above, allow it to cool then place it all in a blender and puree to a smooth sauce.

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Peppersauce Recipe (5)

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Peppersauce Recipe (6)

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Peppersauce Recipe (7)

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Peppersauce Recipe (8)

Trinidad Moruga Scorpion Peppersauce Recipe (10)

Place in a glass container and store in the fridge! I know you’re thinking.. “but Chris, blueberries is NOT Caribbean!”.. Agree.. but I tend to use the fruits (ingredients) I’m now surrounded with.. and to be quite honest, you’ll be amazed at how wonderful this peppersauce is. Great on grilled meats, burgers, hotdogs and a few drops on your sausage and eggs in the morning!

Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

The Ultimate Pepper Sauce Recipe.

trinidad grind peppersauce recipe (10)

With the abundance of hot peppers I had in my garden this summer, you may have noticed that there are several recipes recently dedicated to the most classic of Caribbean condiments… pepper sauce (hot sauce). If you look at the very bottom of this post, there should be some links to some of the spicy sauces I’ve shared recently that I encourage you to try. As I’ve pointed out in the past, just about everyone on the islands swears that their pepper sauce is the best! Be it the heat, uniqueness of the ingredients used or overall flavor. Here’s one that follows most of the common principles of making a good pepper sauce, with a few personal ingredients I like to add. Be warned that this is very HOT!

You’ll Need…

15-20 hot peppers (scotch bonnet or habanero)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups vinegar
10 leaves of Shado Beni or 1 cup cilantro
6 cloves of garlic
1/4 small green papaya
1 small bitter melon (caraili)
1 lemon or 2 ripe limes
Juice of 4 limes
8 pimento peppers – optional
1 carrot – optional (helps to balance heat from peppers)

Some notes:

a. u include the seeds of the pepper for added heat
b. add more vinegar if you like it less thick.
c. remember to remove the seeds from the lemon after cubing.

Are You A WINNER? Before we get to the recipe, I’d like to invite you to participate in this month’s contest immediately after the recipe.

trinidad grind peppersauce recipe

I start off by rough chopping the shado beni, papaya and bitter melon to make it easier to puree in the food processor (remember to peel and remove the seeds from the papaya as well as the bitter melon – you don’t have to peel the bitter melon). I remove the skin off the garlic as well to have it prepped.

trinidad grind peppersauce recipe (2)

I then slice and cube the lemon and remove any seeds that I see.

trinidad grind peppersauce recipe (3)

I highly suggest you wear gloves for the next few steps, as the peppers can cause some pain if you handle them with your bare hands. I then remove the stems off the peppers and give them a rough chop. I retain all the seeds, but if want a milder sauce, do remove the seeds.

trinidad grind peppersauce recipe (4)

trinidad grind peppersauce recipe (5)

Now that I have everything prepped, it’s time to bring out the vintage (old) blender and put it to use. Basically all you’re doing is adding everything listed in the ingredients list to the blender or food processor and puree it until it’s a smooth consistency.You may need to add more vinegar as I pointed out above.

trinidad grind peppersauce recipe (6)

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IMPORTANT : the amount of ingredients you’re seeing in the pictures above is not what I mentioned in the ingredient list. I’m making a bigger batch, but follow along with the ingredients I listed and you’ll be set. You’ll also notice that due to the big batch I’m making that I have a lot of bottles of finished sauce. You’ll have enough for one bottle when done.

trinidad grind peppersauce recipe (9)

Pour into a clean, dry bottle and store. It should be fine outside the fridge since we used vinegar, but you can certainly keep it in the fridge so it will last longer. Bear in mind that by placing it in the fridge, it will loose some of it’s heat. This is the batch I got when I was done. I have some lucky friends who’ll have their hands on the Ultimate Pepper Sauce when I see them next.

trinidad grind peppersauce recipe (11)

The CONTEST!

recipe book giveaway

Win a copy of Hot and Spicy Kitchen Handbook: 200 Sizzling Step-by-Step Recipes for Cuisine and Fiery Local Dishes from India, Mexico, Thailand and Every Spicy Corner of the World

As with other contests I’ve posted on the site before, it’s free to participate. Here’s how…

1. Post a response in the comment section below and your name will be automatically entered into the draw.

2. For an added chance to win (get your name in the pool two times). Head over to the Cooking channel and leave a comment on the “The Ultimate Fried Chicken Recipe” and I will then add your name a 2nd time and give you an extra chance at winning. Say whatever you like (even hello) and that will qualify you for a 2nd time (providing you’ve already left a comment here). Here again is the direct link to the >>>>  cooking channel.

The contest is open from today (Oct 5) to October 31, 2010. Then all the names will be entered into a pot and 1 winner chosen. I will then contact that winner so I can send them the prize ( I will also cover all shipping expenses). So good luck and do give the pepper sauce recipe posted above, a try.

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caribbean recipe on facebook

Sauces & Condiments

An Ambrosial Pepper Sauce Recipe.

recipe for homemade pepper sauce

It’s been a sticky summer with just about everyday being extremely hot and humid, but I’m not complaining except for the havoc all this heat is doing to my habanero plants. If you’re connected to the Facebook Fan Group, you’d know that a few weeks back I was seeking advice on what to do with my plants. They were dropping their leaves and not holding on to the flowers or baby peppers. Good news is that I finally got some peppers, but the yield is about 70% lower than in previous years.  I’m hoping that the cool weather we get in mid to late August will see the second crop be better.

As we’ve discussed in previous hot sauce (pepper sauce) recipes, in the Caribbean just about everyone makes their own sauce and have some sort of secret family recipe or the other. But if we were to define our hot sauces, one word comes to mind – HOT! This sauce is not a traditional Caribbean pepper sauce, since we’ll be using canned peaches and the texture is a but more liquid than the ones we make down the islands. Traditional stuff is a bit more thick or chunky, with the use of carrots, papaya, chunks of ripe limes and other native ingredients.

* NOTE: If you’re using scotch bonnet or habanero peppers and you want the flavour without all the heat, discard the seeds and inner white membrane. This is where all the real heat is in peppers. Additionally, when cutting up the peppers be sure to use a disposable gloves or rub cooking oil over your hands to form a a protective shield from the oils from the peppers. And don’t forget to wash your hands thoroughly with soap after you’re done with this recipe.

You’ll Need…

16 hot peppers (Habanero, Scotch Bonnet or whatever you consider to be hot)
1 can peaches in syrup (trust me on this one my Caribbean people) 14oz
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup distilled vinegar
2 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon black pepper
3 tablespoon chopped cilantro (use shado beni if you have instead)
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon mustard

trinidad peppersauce recipe

Remove the stems from the peppers and give them a rough chop so it’s easier to puree in your blender or food processor. Basically all you’re doing is adding all the ingredients to the blender as in my case and puree until you have a smooth consistency.

habanero peppers for making hot sauce

recipe for homemade pepper sauce

homemade caribbena hotsauce

new trinidad peppersauce recipe

caribbean pepper sauce recipe

making hot suace from habaneros

habanero hotsuace recipe

Don’t ask me why as I can’t explain, but if you allow the finished sauce to rest for about 1 day or so in the fridge, the flavour changes for the best, compared to if you started using it the very same time you’re done making it. However, I’m a hotsauce addict so I started using mine seconds after it came out of the blender. In true Caribbean style I saved my old bottles (pasta sauce etc) just for these occasions. After a good wash in boiling hot water and soap, I allowed them to dry and then I topped one with the hot sauce. Hey, I’m just doing my part to keep this earth we call home greener by reusing!

caribbean hot sauce

This sauce is very savory with a bold kick of heat as it makes it’s way around your tongue. As I mentioned above, it’s not a traditional Caribbean style hotsuace and it’s a bit runny. It makes a great topping for grilled meats, hamburgers, hot dogs and on sandwiches. I would bet my last dollar that it would also make a great dipping sauce for wings. Directly below you’ll find links to other hot sauce (pepper sauce as it’s know on the islands) recipes that I’ve done in the past.

I’d love to get your feedback or just say “hi” in the comments box below – it’s appreciated. And before I go I’d like to remind you to check out the latest cooking videos, pictures and if you’ve not already done so, join our select group on Facebook. Where we discuss all things related to the Caribbean Cooking Culture.