thai chile, mango and peach hot sauce

Snifffffff. My nose is a little runny this morning.

Nope, it's not a cold or hot sauce overindulgence (which is always plausible with me). I just sat down to finish up this recipe post, and ended up reading Melanie's INCREDIBLE birth story instead (via Kristina). Isn't that always the way? Darn you internet. I feel like every time I check in with my favorite ladies (and the occasional dude) out there in blogland, I end up with a very wet face. Sighhhhhhh. I love it. Birth stories are addictive and, don't know about you, but I never read or heard too many prior to the era of the blog. A happy evolution, I think.

Anyway, gear change. I'm in a seriously different mindset finishing this post as I was starting it. But, let's get it out there. This is some good spicy, fruity business here. And, since I know you'll ask... ("how spicy is it?")... that's a super relative question, of course. For a spice-lover, this is satisfyingly hot, but it isn't the craziest stuff. The sweet fruit balances out the fiery chiles. Hot but not painful. On the other hand, if you don't like spice, this one isn't for you. But you should still make some and give it away at the holidays!



This recipe calls for making a pot of hot sauce and then water-bath canning it. If you haven't canned stuff before, try it now! I've given the basics below, but if you want to read more, check out what the Ball people say (there are some useful PDFs), or consult a trustworthy book. Really, I used to be scared of canning, but it's pretty easy. You just need to be organized and confident (the first time is the most nerve-wracking). Of course, you could always just store the sauce in the fridge in lieu of canning, but I'm not sure you could go through it quickly enough. Yes, that might be a challenge. ;)

Oh, and this is totally the time to make this stuff. Actually, this is the YEAR to make this stuff. What with the crazy heat-pocalypses out there and everything. At least that's what this fog-ensconced person hears. Hot peppers are ready for the taking. I scored all these chiles for $1 a bunch at our farmers market.

Let me know if you try! This is delicious, pretty stuff, great on tacos, crackers and goat cheese, a dip for grilled cheese sandwiches, atop grilled fish, etc etc.








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Thai Chile, Mango and Peach Hot Sauce
Adapted from--yep--Canning for a New Generation

makes about 5 half-pint jars. (It doubles well; I made a huge batch.)


4 oz red or orange thai chiles (or other fresh very hot peppers, like habaneros)*
1 lb, 6 oz mangoes, chopped (about 3 cups)
6 oz peaches, diced (about 1 cup)
1 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 c cider vinegar (5% acidity)
4 t pure kosher salt
1 T honey

*Don't be tempted to increase the ratio of peppers to acid ingredients. You need the right acidity to prevent spoilage.

You'll need: 5 half-pint canning jars with new lids and a canning pot (or pasta pot) large enough to hold your jars plus water to cover by at least 1". As for tools: a ladle, either a jar-lifter (or long tongs with rubber bands wrapped around the tip), plus a canning funnel for neat jar-filling. Also, this is a puréed hot sauce, so you'll need a blender.

Prepare for canning: wash your jars and all tools and heat them up to a boil, then keep them in simmering water (should cover jars by at least 1") while you prepare the recipe. Place the flat lids in a heat-proof dish. Set rings aside.

Make the sauce: Stem the chiles, then slice in half and remove seeds if you want (I didn't do either), and place them in a wide, stainless steel pan with all other ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the chiles are softened. Remove the center stopper from your blender lid and have a kitchen towel on hand to cover the opening. Working in batches (important: only fill the blender half-full each time), puree the sauce in a blender (with open-top lid and kitchen towel on top--be careful, this is hot stuff) until very smooth. When the entire recipe has been blended, return the sauce to the pan and bring back to a simmer. Beware of sticky, sputtering sauce--it's kind of like very spicy lava at this stage. A lid perched on top of the pan helps.

Canning: Ladle hot water from the canning pot into the bowl with the lids. This softens the sealing compound on the underside of the lids. Remove the hot jars from the canning pot, carefully pouring the hot water back into the pot. Place the hot jars upright on a kitchen towel and drain the water off the lids.

Remove the sauce from the heat and ladle it through your canning funnel into the hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace at the top. Wipe the rims with a damp paper towel (any sauce there will compromise the seal), place a lid on top, and gently screw on a ring until it's just finger tight. Air needs to escape during the water bath processing, so don't tighten any further at this stage.

Return the jars to the canning pot, ensuring that the water covers the jars by 1". Bring to a boil and, once boiling, maintain this state for 10 full minutes. Afterward, turn off the heat and carefully remove hot jars to a kitchen towel and leave undisturbed for 12 hours. After 1 hour, check that the lids have sealed (you shouldn't be able to press them down). If any haven't, refrigerate them immediately. For successfully processed jars, either re-tighten the rings or remove them completely (not necessary for storage). Then label your jars for keeping and gift-giving!



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And, just a few more canning safety notes: during storage, if you ever notice a bulging lid (or one that's not firmly "sucked down" onto the jar, a funky color or any fuzz/yucky bits when you open the jar, don't ever taste the contents (yeck and very dangerous). Dispose them in a sealed bag, in a place that no person or animal could possibly consume it. Read more here.

But, don't be scared! It's easy to learn the right way, and super addictive. Like hot sauce. And birth stories.

pesto, my way

Pretty much sums up my feelings! There are fancy artichoke or kale pestos out there, which are awesome, but I kinda go nuts for straight up basil-y pesto all Summer long. If I have a big jar of this stuff in the fridge, then you know all is well in my world.

As I mentioned earlier, I used to have trouble making a bright green, fresh-tasting pesto. I'm sure you're with me: sludge-y, dark, bitter pesto just isn't worthy of the name. Allow me to share my personal approach for a version that deserves to be slathered on everything.

Before I do so, let me say, this isn't a fancy, magical, or obscure method. Just a super simple, reliable pesto method that I like. For all I know, you might do it the same way!

It all started a couple of years ago with Heidi's "How to Make Pesto Like an Italian Grandmother" post: hand-chopped pesto with fresh-tasting, identifiable bits smothered by a truck-load of olive oil. I tried this technique, and let me tell you: it tasted AMAZING. Bright, basil-y, garlicky, incredible.

But... my wrist was hurting for a couple of days after. Granted, my "knife skills" are better now, but still. If I'm making a big batch of pesto each week, not sure this is going to happen.

So, my revised technique utilizes a food processor instead of a knife, and borrows the key ideas of the Italian Gram: don't over-chop, don't be afraid of olive oil. It's easy.

Here we go:

1. I make each batch with two large bunches of fresh basil. Don't refrigerate it; make it the day you buy/pick the basil. Pick all the leaves off and place in the food-processor* workbowl. Compost all the stems. You don't want 'em in this pesto.

* I don't use a blender for this method, b/c I think it over-mixes. A FP just chops if you use the pulse button.



2. Peel 2-3 large garlic cloves and throw them in, along with a large handful (or more) of grated parmesan. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and drizzle over a generous (~1/2 c?) amount of extra virgin olive oil*.

I don't use pine nuts! I know, crazy, but I have grown to really like the fresh, biting taste of basil, cheese and garlic. Add 'em if you want.

* This method uses a staggering amount of olive oil, but just remember you're not going to eat it all at once! Plus, it's good for you :)



3. Put the lid on the workbowl and pulse for a very short time: 2-3 seconds. The mixture should just be roughly broken down (see below). This gets everything the same size. Scrape the sides down, then add the final olive oil: probably another 1/4-1/2 c.



4. Pulse again for 2 seconds, and if you have enough olive oil, it should look like this (below). Don't process any longer, or it'll go dark and nasty. Taste for salt and pepper... and maybe stir in a tiny squirt of lemon juice? Sometimes it's just needed.



5. The trick to storing (and preventing the dread blackened pesto) is, as you probably know, to keep the air out. Scrape the pesto into a clean jar and gently float a 1/2" layer of olive oil on top. Put the cap on and refrigerate. It's probably best to use it all up within a week or two.

When you do want to use some, take the pesto out to come to room temp. Pour the oil layer off into a small bowl, then scoop out the desired quantity. To store again, smooth out the top of the pesto and replace the oil layer on top.



Of course, if you want to eat the pesto right away, what's better than pizza? :) Yep, it's the same recipe as last week. It's gotten the Toddler Thumbs Up.







Soooo, I'm curious, how do you make pesto? Do you? There are a million different ways and ingredient combos. I'd love to hear about it!

garden update: mid-summer

As a follow-up to yesterday's tiny taste, here's a huge main serving of what's up in the garden. Summer has come to San Francisco! At least, this week.

Seriously, it's been heavenly here: warm, so the plants and people are happy, but not like crazy mid-west heat-wave hot. It's been lovely, which makes a girl want to linger over watering and finally bring the camera outside again!

hello morning glories (they're wild here)

herb city (who needs some mint? sage? thyme??)

The timing of Summer in SF is, as you must know by now, a tricky thing. The reliably gorgeous late Spring can trick you into planting heat-loving plants, only to have them go all yuck in the fog. (See: last year.) This year, I decided to wait out the fog a little and hold off on the big-time Summer stuff (tomatoes, squash, etc) until now-ish or a little later. Still figuring this place out.

But, even though Summer here is elusive and tricky, it's undeniable that it's a time of transition and overlap out back. Spring plants have been holding on for a long time (we still have peas & favas!), the kale seems to know no season (hello harvest!), and the squashes (summer & winter) are off and running.

It's a season of many players:

1. The pretty

sweet peas & sunflowers
(plus our other "weed": nasturtiums)

'cupani's original'

'april in paris'

'cupani's original'

volunteer blue borage (ok, it'll be prettier when it blooms!)

super baby sunflowers

the promise of blackberries

2. The yummy

Alpine strawberries

"regular" strawberries

3. The Future

more blackberry promises (aka bee mecca)

wee, delicate green bean vines

...and the wee beans

future snacks (aka sunflowers)

summer squash (we're growing regular zucchini & 'ronde de nice')

future slicers
(for Kristen's dad;
I've learned, begrudgingly, to limit myself to cherries and other small tomatoes)

4. The New

new standing-height bed for herbs, lettuces, overgrown(!) spinach and blueberries

new native plant bed

so fuzzy

love this foliage

'starlight' echinacea

5. The Old

the bolting kale & the very tall, very senior peas.
i'm saving seeds for both.

beautiful bolting lettuce.
it will give me seeds for my new favorite lettuce, so it can stay and do its thing.

cilantro, in flower

dill, in flower.
these you can dry and put whole into pickle jars. pretty no?

6. The tenacious

lemon verbena, from the previous homeowners
we've built a deck in its sunlight, squashed it with bags of soil.
it wont stop, and it smells soooooo good.

a week on the lake

Lake Almanor, CA

:: photos by Toby ::