HOT SAUCE (TIERRA)

Last Saturday, We made a trek to the Ferry Plaza with some fellow food bloggers. It was very cold for California standards. We actually had to wear a coat. We happened upon Tierra Vegetables stand. They have some great smoked chiles and hot sauces. Today a Jalapeno sauce looked good to me. Lee, the proprietor told me that I could probably drink it, because it was not so very hot. She said it had great flavor. That was enough for me.

There was some leftover Chile Verde from our quest. This would be put in a tortilla to give the sauce a try. The label on the bottle is fairly plain. It only says Hot Sauce. The ingredients listed are Jalapeno, Vinegar, Onion, and Salt. Some sauce was poured on the plate. It was pretty thin. Jalapeno seeds were scattered throughout the sauce. The color is bright red almost fluorescent. It smells of Jalapeno with a slight whiff of vinegar. It is time to taste. The first thing that hits your palette is sweetness. The sauce is almost alarmingly sweet. Was sugar, or some sweetener added? After the initial sweet punch subsides the pepper flavor shines through. There is just the faintest hint of hotness. The flavor of the Jalapenos is the star of this sauce.

This sauce was very enjoyable. It could be served on pizza or pasta. Because of its sweetness, I might even try it on ice cream. Hot Sauce printed on the label might be a little misleading because of its mildness. This Sauce should be labeled Jalapeno sauce. If you are looking for a flavorful Jalapeno Sauce made by a local producer, head on over to the Ferry Plaza and look for Lee at the Tierra Vegetable booth.