This year we’ve grown some scotch bonnets and naga ghost chillis. Thanks to my unerring self doubt I imagined that the plants we’d grown would produce between 0 and 3 chilli peppers. And any that were produced would be damp, unspicy squibs. I was wrong. Very wrong.
The harvest has so far produced about 15 scotch bonnets and 10 naga chillies. I made a vat of salsa using just one of the nagas, it was so hot it was basically inedible and forced me from my bed at 3am the next morning to visit the porcelain throne. The next day I added another 10 tomatoes and more vinegar to try and tame the beast but it’s still sat in the fridge glaring at me and daring me to sample it again. I won’t.
So if you’re in a similar boat, which is unlikely I guess, here’s an awesome way of turning scotch bonnets into a fruity sauce that will blow your head off but will at least keep in the fridge for 6 weeks so you can pace yourself.
10-15 scotch bonnets (depending on how double hard you are)
300ml Orange Juice (the thicker the better)
1 tea spoon salt
1 table spoon brown sugar
1/2 tin of pineapple chunks (including the juice)
1/4 tea spoon allspice (this isn’t a mix of spices as I thought before I made this sauce, it’s actually the dried unripe fruit of Pimenta dioica tree. So that’s a new fact for you. Also don’t confuse allspice with Old Spice, that will completely ruin your sauce).
If you’ve not used scotch bonnets before, I’m not joking when I say you should use plastic gloves. They are a pretty serious fruit. I’ve done a similar recipe before where I’ve chopped loads up, and it seeps into your skin. It feels like your hands are in a sink full of scolding hot water for hours. Of course, it goes without saying, don’t let any part of your body get near the chilli or their juice. You know what I’m saying boys and girls.
1) roughly chop chillis
2) mix all the ingredients together and blend
3) bring to the boil
4) turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes
5) let it cool and bottle it
THE END.
That will produce about this much sauce to keep you going:
Nice and simple hey? But go steady. I suggest using it on lamb burgers. Every day.
