BULGARIAN CARROT CHILE HOT SAUCE

The Bulgarian carrot chile is an eye catching chile. Its shape and color mimics a ‘Bugs Bunny’ prop that we all love. These peppers were found at the ‘Santa Rosa Farmer’s market. When I find new or unusual peppers, a hot sauce is one way to sample its heat and flavor. A fairly simple recipe is used and any pepper can be substituted. Once my sauce is made it is put into recycled hot sauce bottles. (I have a garage full) Several of my friends love to be ‘Guinea Pigs’ in my experiments. Not all of my creations are successes. One time the sauces fermented and blew the tops off and made a huge mess in the kitchen. Today we are using a secret ingredient of some smoked olive oil. This unique product is created by the “The Smoked Olive”. Let’s go to the kitchen.

Bulgarian Carrot Chile Hot Sauce

• ½ pound of Bulgarian carrot chile (remove stems and chop into several pieces)
• ½ small onion, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup of vinegar
• ½ cup of water
• 1 tablespoon sugar (honey)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons of smoked olive oil (optional)

Place all ingredients except smoked olive oil in a sauté pan. Bring to simmer and cook for 15 minutes or vegetables become soft. Let mixture cool slightly. Place ingredients into food processor and add smoked olive oil. Puree mixture and add additional water to desired consistency. Let cool and place into bottles with a funnel. When cool refrigerate.

Here is the million dollar question. Did it taste like carrots? There was a subtle carrot flavor that most likely came from the added carrot. This pepper flavor was mild that was not very unique. The pepper did meld well with the other ingredients. This sauce has a medium heat that warms your mouth with pepper bliss. The heat level tipped the meter 2 stars out of 5. The smoked olive oil was an added bonus for adding a subtle smoke flavor. The Bulgarian carrot chile is thick skinned and full of seeds. This created a very thick sauce. This sauce worked well because of the balance and combination of ingredients.
   It is always fun to experiment with chiles. This recipe can be used with any chiles that you desire. Today’s Bulgarian Chile Hot Sauce was a success. It will not last very long.