Sport Pepper Sauce

We are honored that Chef John Besh has allowed us a sneak peak of four of his recipes from his cookbook, My New Orleans: The Cookbook (publishing Oct. 6, 2009). Recipes reprinted with permission from Andrews McMeel Publishing.

SPORT PEPPER SAUCE
From My New Orleans: The Cookbook, by John Besh

Makes 1 1/2 quarts

What my granddaddy and a lot of Southerners call sport peppers are little green and red and sometimes yellow hot peppers, Capiscum annuum, similar in taste to Tabasco and the Thai chiles found in many Asian markets. I store my pepper sauce in the refrigerator, not in the pantry, which means I hardly need to cook the peppers first. The sauce doesn’t last as long, but the flavor is brighter. Use on slow-cooked greens when you want a jolt of flavor.

What my granddaddy and a lot of Southerners call sport peppers are little green and red and sometimes yellow hot peppers, Capiscum annuum, similar in taste to Tabasco and the Thai chiles found in many Asian markets. I store my pepper sauce in the refrigerator, not in the pantry, which means I hardly need to cook the peppers first. The sauce doesn’t last as long, but the flavor is brighter. Use on slow-cooked greens when you want a jolt of flavor.

Ingredients:

1 quart white vinegar

2 cups mixed sport or Thai chile peppers

2 teaspoons salt

Instructions:

1. Put the vinegar, chiles, and salt into a medium pot and boil over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
2. Working quickly and using a slotted spoon or tongs, divide the chiles evenly between several hot, sterilized jars and bottles (page 240). Using a sterilized funnel, fill the jars and bottles with the hot vinegar. Seal the jars and bottles with their sterilized lids and let them rest at room temperature until cool.
3. Store the bottles and jars in the refrigerator for at least 1 week to let the flavors develop before using.

The sauce will last for 6 months in the refrigerator.