Louisiana Style Hot Sauce Food

HOMEMADE LOUISIANA HOT SAUCE RECIPE (FERMENTED AND NON FERMENTED)

Steps:

• FOR THE FERMENTED VERSION
• First, ferment the chili peppers. Chop the peppers then pack them into a jar, leaving at least 1 inch of head space. The peppers may rise a bit when fermenting.
• Next, mix 1 quart unchlorinated water with 3 tablespoons sea salt. Pour just enough brine over the peppers to cover them, pressing them down a bit as you go. It is important to keep the peppers covered with brine to avoid spoilage. Check this daily.
• Screw on the lid and set the jar away from direct sunlight to ferment for at least 1 week. Ideal temperatures are between 55-75 degrees F. The most active fermentation period is between 1-2 weeks, so be sure to monitor it during this time. "Burp" the jars often by unscrewing the lid a bit to let out some of the accumulating gases. Or, use an airlock or membrane for easier fermenting. See our page, "How to Make Fermented Pepper Mash", for further instruction.
• After 1-2 weeks, the fermenting activity will diminish and the brine will turn cloudy and taste acidic.
• Pour the fermented peppers, including brine, into a pot along with the vinegar. Bring to a quick boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can strain out the fermented peppers and discard the brine, then boil the peppers with 1 cup vinegar and 1/2-1 teaspoon salt. Some people prefer to use the brine.
• Cool slightly then add to a food processor and process until smooth.
• Strain the mixture to remove the solids. Pour into hot sauce bottles and enjoy.
• FOR THE NON-FERMENTED VERSION
• Add only the chili peppers, 1 cup vinegar and 1 teaspoon salt to a pot and bring to a quick boil. Be sure you are only using 1 teaspoon of salt.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes to soften everything up.
• Cool slightly then add to a food processor and process until smooth. If it is too thick, add water a tablespoon at a time and process until smooth.
• Strain the mixture to remove the solids. Pour into hot sauce bottles and enjoy.

LOUISIANA HOT SAUCE CHICKEN SANDWICH WITH CAJUN RANCH DRESSING

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, hot sauce, honey, cumin, garlic, lime juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the chicken into a re-sealable bag and pour the buttermilk marinade over. Marinate in the fridge, at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
• Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken until cooked through and 165 degrees F, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Place the cheese on the bottom of each roll, then top with 2 chicken thighs, lettuce and a dollop of Cajun Ranch Dressing.
• In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk, hot sauce, lemon juice, blackening seasoning, mustard, salt and cayenne. Fold in the scallions, celery, red peppers and garlic with the mayonnaise mixture.

HOT TAMALES (LOUISIANA STYLE)

Steps:

• Run onions, celery, garlic, and bell pepper through your food processor until they are finely minced.
• In a very large bowl, combine ground meat, minced veggies, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Mix together thoroughly using your hands. Add in the rotel, 1 cup of corn meal, and 1 can of tomato sauce; mix again. (You need to mix the wet ingredients in separately from the spices so that the spices don't all clump together in one spot.)
• Lay out your papers beside two baking sheets or trays. Add 1 cup of cornmeal to one baking sheet, to roll the tamales in (the other one is to stack completed tamales on.)
• Pinch off some of the meat mixture, and form into a ping pong sized ball. Roll it in the cornmeal, coating it as thick as you can. Place in the center of a tamale paper on one side, and roll. The ball should squish into a log, leaving an inch of the wrapper empty on either end. Press down the top of both empty ends, and fold the two sides of the ends in before folding them under the tamale.
• Repeat with the remainder of the meat mixture. After a few, you get the feel of how much meat it will take to fill the wrapper up enough. We got 75 tamales out of one batch, it depends on how big you make them.
• In a large dutch oven, pour in the 1/2 cup oil and 1 can tomato sauce. Cover with a layer of tamales, then a can of sauce, and a sprinkle of chili powder, repeating until you run out of tamales. Fill the pan with water until the tamales are just covered.
• Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer 2 - 2 1/2 hours till done, adding water if necessary.