Latin American Recipe • Pique (Puerto Rican Hot Sauce)

This recipe is for hot sauce! Hot but flavorful. The consistency isn't a thin liquid like Tabasco®. It's a little on the thick side so it doesn't disappear when you put it on your food. Great with everything on your plate...that is, if you love it hot and spicy! This keeps in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, roughly chopped, divided
• 20 habanero peppers, halved
• 5 aji dulce peppers, halved
• 8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 6 tablespoons lime juice
• ¼ cup tequila
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• 8 sprigs cilantro, chopped
• 2 sprigs culantro
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon cacao powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

Cooking Directions

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/4 of the onion, habanero peppers, aji dulce, and garlic. Cook and stir until tender, about 3 minutes. Let cool at least 5 minutes.
2. Transfer pepper mixture to a blender. Add pineapple juice, lime juice, tequila, vinegar, cilantro, culantro, sugar, oregano, salt, black pepper, cacao powder, and cumin. Blend until smooth. Pour sauce into a glass bottle with a lid; let stand for a least 1 week for flavors to blend.

Nutrition Facts

• calories52.4
• carbohydrateContent6.8 g
• fatContent1.9 g
• fiberContent1 g
• proteinContent0.9 g
• saturatedFatContent0.3 g
• sodiumContent77.2 mg
• sugarContent3.7 g