Chilli Chile Chili Sauce

This chilli sauce has no exact quantities so each batch can be different. The recipe is based on one by Jorge Perez Barilla, a very talented chef (and friend) with a readily admitted addiction to spicy food. The sauce is great with all Central American food, in marinades and as a general condiment on the table. It keeps for ages in the fridge. Just be sure to use a clean spoon each time you use it to prolong its freshness.

The sauce is prepared using two groups of ingredients which are eventually blended together and then brought to a slow simmer for a few minutes. The first is the dried chilli mixture and the second is the fresh chilli ingredients which are cooked off in the oven.

Dried Chilli Mixture

The more varieties  of dried chilli you use, the more complex the flavour of the finished sauce. I generally use 2 or 3 ancho, 4 kashmiri, 4 long chillies and maybe a dozen or so of the little pequin chillies. Put these into a bowl and pour in a glug of white vinegar, a glug of white wine and a good glug of extra virgin olive oil. Add 2 segments of preserved lemon (I keep the flesh in), a few sprigs of fresh marjoram, and a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme or lemon thyme. Let them sit soaking in the bowl while you prepare the Fresh Chilli Mixture.

Fresh Chilli Mixture

Quantities here depend soley on how hot you want to make your customized chilli sauce. The fresh ingredients are put on a tray in the oven at 170-180 degrees C for about 20 minutes until slightly softened. For the above quantity of dried mixture I use about 4 medium tomatoes (or the equivalent in cherry tomatoes, Romas or a combination of whatever I have). Peel and chop a medium onion into 8 wedges, peel 4 or 5 cloves of garlic, and add whatever fresh chillies you have (bird's eye, long, habanero).

Bringing It Together

Put the fresh and dried ingredients together into a blender and blend until you see the mixture come together smoothly. Pour into a saucepan and heat slowly until the mixture simmers gently, stirring for about 5 minutes.
Take off the heat and let cool slightly before pouring into sterilized containers. Covering the surface in olive oil helps to preserve the sauce for a longer period. Refrigerated, it keeps for weeks.

                                              Makes about 1 litre