habanero salsa project

When it comes to spicy foods and hot sauces, my husband's tolerance level goes far beyond the norm :-) He can taste the different flavors in them while my taste palate just gets stung by the heat. This post is dedicated to his recent salsa making project and I'm happy to document it here.

it all started with this ~ our potted habanero plant

a very good chili pepper harvest

Habaneros are considered to be one of the hottest chili peppers. A pair of gloves is a must when handling them making sure that nothing goes near your eyes and skin to avoid the burn. The first step was to split the habaneros and remove the seeds. Set them aside in a bowl.

using a rubber glove when slicing to protect skin from the burn caused by handling these hot chilis

Then in a saucepan combine the following ingredients:
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup chopped habanero chilis

Bring this mixture to a boil for 10 minutes. Allow to cool down. In a food processor, combine the fresh habanero chilis and the boiled vinegar mixture and puree. Transfer the salsa to a mason jar or any airtight glass container and refrigerate.

(1) using the food processor to puree the mixture (2) the bright color of the salsa is shown here (3) poured into a mason jar ready to refrigerate (4) tasting the salsa

Compared to the habanero salsa he made with his dad some years ago, this recipe, which combines the fresh habaneros with the cooked vinegar mixture, was way better since the habaneros didn't lose any heat in the cooking process. Somehow, cooking the habaneros tend to mellow them. I have to say the heat level of this salsa is definitely for hot chili pepper aficionados but for those like me who are not even sure what an SHU or scoville heat unit is, I think we'd better stick to tabasco for now :-).