Hot Hot Sauce

Lately, I've been hankering for culinary fire. You know, a real spike on the tongue, Maybe it's because of this:

That's the skating rink that is our driveway. Ah, New England. Ye gave us Puritans and schoolmarms.

I can't possibly understand what made them so bitter.

So here's how I got my fire. I bought 1/2 pound fresh red chiles at the supermarket. You know, those long, thin, red, finger-like, wicked-looking chiles. I stemmed them, then pulsed them in a food processor with 2 tablespoons kosher salt. I scraped the whole mess into a big bowl, covered it tightly with plastic wrap, and set it in the back pantry for 4 days.

After that, I stirred in 1 3/4 cups white vinegar. Nothing fancy--just the jug vinegar from the store. I covered the bowl again and set it back in the pantry for 6 days.

At the end, here it was. (I couldn't resist taking the picture outside with the snow in the background--sort of like Dante's Inferno as seen from northwestern Connecticut in winter.)

I strained the stuff, tossed out the seeds and pulp, and am now left about 1 1/2 cups of fire.

Bruce said it looks like apricot jam. Um, right. Apricot jam for the insane. But it's crazy good: sweet, fruity, banging hot, and a little salty. Two or three drops in a stew or braise will bring the whole thing back from the dead. Maybe me, too.