hot sauce review #1, first in a new coconino series. i'll be reviewing some of my favourite sauces occasionally, hot sauces being one of my favourite things. life without hot sauces and salsas would be truly bland! so here she is: "la india brava." "the brave/fierce indian woman." boy, the name says it all! this indian woman will kick your ass! made from almost 100% ground chiltepin peppers, this may be one of the greatest bang-for-your-buck sauces i've seen yet. i picked up a few bottles in caborca, sonora, mexico. and,i wish i would have picked up a few more! it says "producto authentico de la sierra sonorese" and i belive it. the chiltepine is believed to be the ancestor of all modern chilis and is native to northern most mexico and a few patches protected in a nature preserve in a secret location in southern arizona. it is a hot little ball, each an individual chili. i have a picture in my "back from mexico" post of bulk chiltepins. the chiltepin is waaayyyy beyond the heat range of most white people, and when i bought a big bag of them the gal at the store looked at me like i was nuts. ingredients are listed as: water, chilis, vinegar, salt, spices. the fruity flavor of the chiltepin, totally distinct from the habenero, really shines through a nuance of salt and a slight garlic/vinegar aftertaste. a product of navajoa, sonora, this is a great memento of northern mexico if you think you are tough enough to go mano a mana with la india....... rating: *****. steve.
4 comments:
Steve,
My brother does a lot of work a lot in northern Mexico (mining industry...he's a metallergical engineer/sales rep). For Christmas he gave me a small jar of chiltepines and an ironwood morter/pestle. They are great! Very tasty! I usually put at least 3 or 4 in my soups, same on Venezuelan chicken and rice, etc.
I'll see if he can score me a bottle or two of La India Brava. Sounds like killer stuff! Thanks for the review.
MM
Hi Steve !
In fact I was wondering if you had a good recipe for home-made fajitas ? ;-)
Thanks !
Francois
fajitas? heck yeah, i do! the important thing about fajitas is the marinade. my marinade varies according to my taste of the day, as will yours. you want to marinade the meat at least 24 hours. here's a sample of what i would use, modify to your taste. marinade would be for about 4lbs of meat: fresh squeezed lime juice mixed in a ratio of 3/4-1/4 with white vinegar. enough to cover the meat. mix the marinade BEFORE YOU PUT IT ON THE MEAT so you can taste it! add salt and pepper to taste. add a thinly sliced white onion and an orange sliced thin in rings, half a bulb of minced garlic, and a good dose of tamari sauce. and, i like a pinch of cumin. it makes my wife squeamish, but i like to marinate it at room temp. i figure nothing can live in the marinade. to prepare: grill the meat with equal amounts of sliced bell peppers and onions, sliced big enough to not fall though th grill. a huge griddle is ideal. throw on some whole green onions, too. serve with crumbled hard cheese, guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, [finely diced tomatoes, serrano peppers, cilantro and onion] lime wedges, hot tortillas and maybe a dollop of sour cream. damn, i'm hungry now........we have some french friends here, and when they come over this is the dish they always request too! steve.
Wow ! Thanks Steve ! I'll make sure to take some pictures when I'll try.
Bon appétit ! ;-)
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