Hey hot sauce lovers....

[beac]

Found this linked on a friend-of-a-friend's blog. Sounds tasty, no?

Francesco Clemente’s Amazing Hot Sauce (Chipotle and Date Chutney)


Padma says:
This hot sauce is named after my very dear friend, Francesco. I always joke that Francesco is really an Indian man trapped in an Italian body, and he tells me I am an Italian trapped in an Indian body. He and his beautiful and elegant wife lived in Madras when I was very young. He is now so addicted to this sauces that I feel like a drug dealer when he calls to say he’s finished his stash.

With four children, he is forced to hide it deep in the back of the fridge. I love the tastes of hot and sweet in the same bite, as you may have figured out by now. And I love the tear-inducing fieriness of pickled chipotle peppers. My favorite brand, La Morena, comes in a bright orange can. This condiment will keep nicely in the fridge for a couple of months.

Ingredients:
10 fresh or dried dates, pitted, cut into chunks
4 plum tomatoes, seeded, with the juice squeezed from them
13 ounces pickled chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt


Instructions:
In a blender or processor, combine all the ingredients and blend until they make a thick paste. Pour into a deep saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat for about 5 to 6 minutes, adding 1/4 cup of water halfway though and stirring. Cool and then store in an airtight glass jar.

Makes about 3 1/2 to 4 cups

http://www.healthcentral.com/diet-exercise/padma-197210-5.html

[yellerpup]

1. I'm going to try this.

How often does one have La Morena chiles and dried dates on hand? The way I read it is: Meant to be! Thanks, beac! :hi:

[beac]

2. Definitely some foodie ESP at work tonight!

Let me know how it turns out. I probably won't be able to try it until after T-giving-- assuming my local international food market has those chiles somewhere on its shelves.

[yellerpup]

3. I porbably won't make it today either.

But it looks really good and I think the dates will really make it special. :hi:

[Blues Heron]

4. Thanks for this recipe

Been wanting to make my own hot sauce/chutney for a while, this one sounds tasty! What do I do with the tomatoes - hand squeeze them? I suppose that's not too critical - just get some of the moisture out right?

[beac]

5. Not sure, as I haven't made it myself yet, but I would think

either with your hands or using a wooden spoon (maybe putting the tomatoes in a colander or sieve to let the juices run out.) She doesn't mention peeling the tomatoes, but I would think that would help them blend in better too.

[Blues Heron]

6. Just made a batch - tear-inducingly fiery!

Wow!

I used two 7 oz cans of La Morena brand chipotles in adobo
used 10 dried dates
used 4 plum tomatoes from a can , and crushed/seeded them in a strainer to remove the juice
did 3 cloves garlic since they were small
1/3 cup tupelo honey
little bit of water to rinse out the blender
1 tsp kosher salt

boiled it more like 15 minutes just to really let the garlic and tomatoes cook

in retrospect I might add one more tomato, and might go with a less smoky pepper - maybe jalapenos or something like that.maybe a blend of different ones. Like the heat level. Haven't tried it with anything yet, just tastes from the pot, the sweetness level is good, salt good.

Thanks again for the recipe! Hope everybody tries this one!

[yellerpup]

7. Just made this - about 1/2 a recipe

and I used drained tomatoes instead of fresh and about 6-7 oz. of chipotle because I used about half for something else. Truly a taste treat. I'm thinking it would be perfect with simple cheese enchiladas. Thanks beac. Really outstanding!

[Lucinda]

8. I love hot sauce and I love dates....This is perfect for me!

Sounds delicious!