 |
| Avanti garden chilies: Pequins in the bowl. On the plate from left, Aji dulce, fatalii, Australian lantern, tabasco |
The
summer of 2015 was a banner year for HOT chili peppers in the Avanti Natural
Garden. What we used to refer to
as Veronica’s grandpappy’s Guadalajara chili was identified by a chef bud as
the mighty pequin. If you fancy
growing chilies in your garden, make sure to add at least one of these
marvels. They grow to stellar
heights, over 6 or 7 feet, produce hundreds of chilies and live for years. They are a HOT power chili shrub. The habaneros, cayenne & Tabasco
chilies I ordered from Cross Country Nurseries this year all produced w/ abandon. I fell in love w/ the golden
fatalii. That plant produced at
least 40 chilies over the season.
I only order plants indicated ‘prolific’ and some are, and some not so
much. This fatalii delivered big
time.
I have a gigantor 7 foot tall Bangladeshi eggplant that has produced at
least 100 flowers, but is completely sterile and 100% fruitless. But that is a separate story
 |
| A beautiful specimen plant, but so far it's shooting blanks |
As
we all know, fermented foods are coming into their own scientifically. Health-Foodies for Centuries have
touted the fermented veg as something to eat daily for optimum health. Finally Science has caught up w/ instinctive
human wisdom. So, get HOT >>
Ferment >> Live Long & Perspire ::]
Avanti
2015 Garden Chili Fermented HOT Sauce
|
Amount
|
Measure
|
Ingredient
|
Prep Method
|
|
8
|
Ounces
|
Fresh
garden chilies*
|
Smaller
preferable
|
|
2
|
Tablespoons
|
Sea
salt
|
Avanti
pickling salt
|
|
2
|
Cups
|
Herbal
broth**
|
|
|
3
|
Tablespoons
|
|
|
|
1
|
Tablespoon
|
Miso
|
|
|
2/3
|
Cup
|
Champagne
vinegar
|
Or
Apple Cider Vinegar
|
|
1/3
|
Cup
|
Red
wine vinegar
|
|
|
6
|
Cloves
|
Garlic
|
|
Pick through and wash the chilies. Allow to drain until mostly dry.
 |
| Chilis ready for hot sauce. Pequins in one batch, a mix in the other |
Place
all into a sturdy blender and grind until smooth. Don’t overdo it.
Remember the vinegar, ginger puree & miso are living organisms.
 |
| Ready to grind in the blender jar |
Don’t allow the heat of friction to
kill the beneficial probiotics.
Let sit in the blender for several hours or over night. Blend again. This will tenderize, the chili pulp skins and seeds for a
smoother sauce. Divide into clean
glass jars. Cover w/ a tea towel
and allow to ferment at room temperature for 3 to 5 days. Shake well twice a day. Refrigerate.
 |
| Dagger pods in w/ the mix |
* A Note On
Chilies <::> Smaller chilies are naturally more dense so they will
produce a thicker sauce. If you
use larger chilies such as those from the habanero family, add ½ cup or so of
hemp or sesame seeds to the blender to thicken the final sauce. You can add a tablespoon of flax or
chia too, but don’t over do those as they make the sauce sticky. Adding the seeds increases the
nutrition, protein and fiber content of the finished sauce.
** A Note On
Herbal Broth <::> This is a great place to create the nutritional alchemy
you’d like to include in your daily diet.
As you learn about micro nutrients, teas & herbs that respond to the
health issues you would personally like to address, add those components to
your herbal broth. I add a mixture
of somes of these: Jamaica, rooibos, cinnamon, nopales, reishi, shiitake,
maitake, matcha, red pine bark, cacao, turmeric, ginger, fenugreek, coriander,
galangal and more. I peruse the
spice rack and choose for flavor, color & health benefits. Then I add garden herbs such as basil,
lemon grass, oregano, mint, lemon balm, pineapple sage, lemon verbena,
rosemary, etc. as the whim strikes me.
 |
| Australian lanterns, they are smaller and redder than the Aji dulce |
This
summer I made three variations of this sauce
Variation
#1 :: 100% pequin chilies
Variation
#2 :: Garden chili mix: Fatalii,
Australian lantern, dagger pod, aji dulce, Tabasco. I added a ¼ cup hemp seeds to the mix. It’s a bit thin.
Variation
#3 :: 2 parts pequin to 1 part garden chili mix
 |
| Three variations in jars. All 3 are HOT Stuff! |
Eating
Healthy & Delicious is a Win Win Win Situation!
Eat, Live
& Party Well
Blog post
by Chef Mark Cleveland
Avanti is
the longstanding leader in organic, sustainable, local, flavorful cuisine in
Orange County, CA.
Meaning
'forward' in Italian, Avanti Natural is a culinary philosophy that integrates
the best of traditional European and Asian healthful eating with the latest
nutritional information for optimum health.
At Avanti
Natural, we believe that you don't have to sacrifice taste to eat healthy. You can Eat Well & Live Well. Follow us on social media to see what
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