Spanish Needles Fermented Hot Sauce

INTRODUCTION

Who doesn’t love hot sauce? In this recipe, we’ve used our extra Spanish Needles greens and Hawaiian chilis to craft a spicy ferment of wild flavor, perfect for an infusion of heat to any dish.

We are so grateful to Pascal Baudar, forager extraordinaire. Our recipe is an adaptation of his, found in his book The New Wildcrafted Cuisine.

Purchase Pascal’s book and view the recipe here.

INGREDIENTS

Spanish Needles greens, enough to pack about 60% of your clean, sterilized jar

40 Hawaiian chilis

2 onions

10 garlic cloves

4 Tablespoons chili powder

Salt

Water

STEP 1

Roughly chop the ingredients. Use gloves when handling the chilis; remove most of the seeds.

STEP 2

Pack everything tightly into a clean, sterilized jar. Again, wear gloves, to protect yourself from the oils of the peppers.

STEP 3

Make a brine of 1 Tablespoon salt for every 2 cups of water. Pour brine over the ingredients, leaving about 1 1/2 inches clear at the top.

STEP 4

Weigh down your ingredients, so that everything stays submerged under the brine. You can use a large leaf and sterilized stone or fermentation weight. Scoop off anything floating on top.

STEP 5

Place your jar on a plate, so as to catch any liquid that spills out. Loosely put the jar lid on top, do not fasten all the way – air needs to get out.

STEP 6

Allow the fermentation to go for 7-10 days, out of direct sunlight. Each day, push down on the stone and allow the gases to escape.

STEP 7

Blend your fermentation thoroughly, to a smooth consistency. Taste it and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper or any other spices you like.

STEP 8

Store your labeled hot sauce covered in the refrigerator. It should last for many weeks.

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