David's Yellow Mango Magic Hot Sauce

David and I have a long history of hot sauce and mind-melds. This is a recipe that he invented as a yellow mangooey variation of my Dad’s Green Dragon Breath hot sauce.

 It is a beautiful, yellow, smoky, fruity hot sauce that tastes really hot at first but then instantly mellows, so you can really enjoy the fruity, vegetal, smoky, tropical fruit-sweet, tart and sour flavor sensation that occurs in your mouth. David has taste-tested this sauce on a chicken bánh mì  and says it is A+. Truth: you can put this shit on everything.

This recipe calls for two types of common peppers: habanero and jalapeno. But feel free to experiment with other pepper varieties! Try to keep them yellow or orange! During this crazy time, I encourage you to get creative with what you have and can safely acquire.

Note: habanero peppers are extremely HOT, so please be careful. Always use latex gloves—or dish gloves or even a plastic bag over your hands—when handling any hot peppers. Do not forget Laena’s cautionary tale from class. These babies can BURN!! This recipe makes 6 (2oz) bottles of hot sauce, or one 12 oz jar, whatever you have around! You can re-use old jars for this recipe.

Ingredients

1 tomatillo (this is an important ingredient for the flavor, but you could substitute regular sweet yellow peppers if you must in this pandemic)
1 small onion (or half a big one), halved
4 habanero peppers, yellow or orange
6 jalapeno peppers, green or orange
1/2 cup pineapple (you can substitute frozen or canned, but make sure it is unsweetened!)
5 cloves of garlic
¼ cup (a small handful) fresh cilantro, torn up with your hands, stems included
3 fresh juicy mangoes, peeled, pitted and chopped (you can substitute frozen)
4 tablespoons lime juice (juice from about 6 limes, bottled is fine)
1 cup white wine or apple cider vinegar
¼ cup mezcal
2 tablespoons salt

Directions

1.     Turn the oven on to 450, and on a sheet tray, lay out the first 5 ingredients (lefthand column): tomatillo, onion, jalapenos, habaneros, pineapple and roast for about 20 minutes, then crank the oven to broil, and broil on high for 10 minutes or until they’re all slightly blistered and soft, and tomatillos are bursting, turning halfway through.

2.     Transfer contents to a blender and add the rest of the ingredients: cilantro, mango, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, mezcal, salt and pulse until desired texture is reached.

3.     Too thick? You can add a bit of water, adding 1 tablespoon at a time, if it’s too thick. Do not exceed 4 tablespoons of water. Still too thick? You can add 1 or 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Taste it! Add more salt if needed.

4.     Fill bottles or jars with a funnel and cap.

5.     Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate. Hot sauce should last at least 1 year in the fridge. How do you know if it has gone bad? It will get moldy.