Yield: 2 cups
| Measure | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| ½ \N | Dried ancho chile |
| 2 \N | Fresh red Dutch, Thai, or Jalapeno chilies |
| 16 \N | Fresh Scotch bonnet or Habanero chilies, preferably orange or golden yellow |
| 2 cups | Coarsly chopped yellow onion |
| 14 mediums | Garlic cloves |
| 2 teaspoons | Fresh lemon juice |
| 11 teaspoons | Amber or light rum |
| 2 cups | Distilled white vinegar |
| ½ teaspoon | Dried oregano |
Submerge the ancho in hot water and soak until soft, about 20 minutes. Chop ancho finely and reserve. Roast and peel the Dutch chile; stem, seed and chop finely.
Stem and seed the Scotch bonnets, leaving the inner membranes (and, if desired, a few seeds). Combine Scotch bonnets with onion and garlic in a food processor and process until very finely chopped. Combine lemon juice, rum and vinegar in a non-reactive pan and bring to a boil.
Pour liquid into processor, add the oregano and Dutch chile, and process lightly. Add the ancho teaspoon by teaspoon, processing briefly in between, pulsing only enough to obtain a smooth, yellow-orange sauce, highlighted by red flecks. Keeps refrigerated up to six weeks.
Michelle Hancock's column appears August 10, 1994 in the Fort Worth Star Telegram
NOTES: Ancho peppers are very mild. I had no luck finding red jalapeno peppers here in the American outback and red Thai peppers tend to be much hotter than needed... so I used green jalapenos and got green flecks instead of red. A little of this goes a long way.
Submitted By DAVE DRUM On 01-23-95 (1139)