Pepper Lime Sauce

A sauce made with limes and peppers. Simply add a little to soups, salads, veggie wraps, cooked rice, quinoa, or any food that could use a little zing! It will have you saying, “wow!” Try it with our recipe for Perfect Brown Rice or Quinoa with Sweet Peppers.

Ingredients:

• 6 limes, rind removed* and chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely ground Himalayan salt
• 12 Santa Fe Grande Chilli Peppers** or other chili peppers, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup or more white distilled vinegar

Directions:

1. Sterilize*** a large (quart size) Ball Quart Size Wide-Mouth Canning Jar or other brand, including the screw band, and tight fitting lid, as well as any spoons, knives, or other utensils used in preparing the food. Set aside on a clean cloth to air-dry.
2. Place the limes in a medium size pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or until soft. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes or until slightly cooled.
3. Mix in the peppers, garlic, and salt, then transfer to the sterilized jar. Pour in just enough vinegar to cover the mixture, then secure with the screw band and lid. Shake until well combined.
4. Let sit in a warm room or near a warm window for up to 3 days, then refrigerate another 2 days before serving. Stores refrigerated for up to 3 weeks. You’ll find that the longer the sauce sits, the better it tastes.

Variations:

1. This recipe calls for Santa Fe Grande Chilli Peppers, which can be harvested when yellow or orange-red and have a mild heat, but you can replace them with other peppers. Maybe try Poblano Peppers or Anaheim Peppers.
2. For a sauce that’s extremely hot, add one high heat pepper such as a Habanero Pepper, Thai Pepper, or Trinidad Scorpion Pepper.

Yield:
Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

* To remove the rind of a lime, use a sharp paring knife to cut both ends off, place one of the flat ends on the cutting board, then cut downward and close to the flesh so to remove most of the pith, since the pitch produces a bitterness that you might not like.

** Use disposable gloves when handling peppers, because hot peppers can irritate the skin.

*** Before sterilizing canning jars, lids, and screw bands, check to be sure the jars don’t have any chips or cracks, then carefully follow the manufacture’s instructions for sterilizing. Also use sterilized stainless steel utensils to use in preparing the food.