Re: [CH] Fatalii sauces recipes?

Matt Evans (tmattevans@gmail.com)
Tue, 27 Sep 2005 19:24:00 -0400 

Kris --

Ahhhh, the beloved fatalli....I grew these for the first time a couple
of years ago and again last summer.  Over the course of both years, I
grew approximately 100 different varieties of chiles, and the fatallis
were consistently the hottest -- by far.  There was no comparison with
the other C. chinense varieties that I grew -- chocolate hab, orange
hab, and Red Savina included.  I sent seeds from these plants to many
members on this list in trades.  That said....

My favorite sauce with these is just a straightforward preparation
with vinegar and kosher salt.  The sauce is exceptionally hot, so you
tend not to use much -- thus, I don't spend much time fiddling with
it.  Although, you could make a milder sauce that is more complicated
and has more different flavors, but I haven't tried it.

At any rate, here's what I do.  Just start by chopping the chiles up
pretty well -- if you have bunches, use the food processor.  Pack the
minced chiles into hot sterilized pint jars, put a couple of teaspoons
on kosher salt on top, and then cover with boiling white vinegar. 
Process these for 5 or 10 minutes in a hot water bath.  The processing
isn't necessary for safety reasons in this case (the mixture will be
acidic enough) but for flavor.  You will get a much fuller, less harsh
mouth feel after processing these than if you tried to do this by
another method (and remember, capcaisin is heat stable, so you don't
lose any heat this way).  Let the jars sit at room temperature for a
couple of weeks (a month is better) and then crack them open.  You can
use this mix as is sort of like a relish -- it's good on or in
anything, if you ask me.  If you want a more sauce-like product, drain
the minced chiles (save the vinegar) and run them through a food mill
to remove skins and seeds.  Your sauce will be thicker than Tabasco
sauce, but much less thick than many commercial sauces that use food
stabilizers (e.g., guar gum).

After opening the jars, I store them in the fridge, but I'm not sure
if it is necessary.  Oh, and what to do with the reserved hot vinegar?
 My favorite way to use it is on cooked collard greens, but I grew up
in the South.  You can also use it in vinaigrettes, other recipes that
call for plain vinegar, or use it to process your next batch of sauce.

By the way, I also like fatalli powder and fatalli pepper jelly -- you
should try those, too.

Matt

On 9/27/05, Kris Kumler <kris+chile-heads@kumler.us> wrote:
> Does anyone have recipes that will work well with fataliis?  I've got
> a few fataliis and a bunch of (various -- RS, choc., orange) habs from
> OF and the garden.
> I haven't made a fatalii sauce before and was looking for recipes that
> may show it off well.
>
> And barring that, any favorite sauce recipes for habs would also be
> appreciated.  I'd like a good recipe to start from so I can personalize.
>
> Cheers,
> --
> Kris
> --
> "I knew three different ways of proving this result, but
> unfortunately I chose a fourth way."
>         -- John von Neumann
>