Hatch–Aleppo–Cayenne Pineapple Hot Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup Hatch chiles (seeded if you prefer milder)
• 1 cup Aleppo peppers (I removed the seeds)
• 1 cup cayenne / Guajillo peppers (cayenne brings the heat, so you can balance the heat by replacing some of the cayenne portion with another pepper to tone down the heat profile.  If you like the heat, use all cayenne, if you don’t have Guajillo you can use another milder pepper.)
• 1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp Maple Syrup(The real stuff 🙂 ) or  honey (optional, balances heat)
• Neutral oil for sautéing (I used olive oil)

Instructions

1. Sauté aromatics: In a saucepan over medium heat, add a small splash of oil. Sauté the peppers and garlic 3–4 minutes until softened and fragrant. (depending on the ratio of spicy peppers you use, you might notice everyone starting to cough in the house 🙂 )
2. Simmer: Add pineapple, vinegar, lime juice, and salt. Simmer 5–10 minutes to marry flavors.
3. Blend: Transfer carefully to a blender. Add Maple Syrup or honey (if using). Blend until smooth.
4. Strain (optional): For a silky finish, pass through a fine mesh strainer. (I did NOT strain, my Vitamix blender blended mine smooth enough for me)
5. Bottle & chill: Pour into clean bottles/jars and refrigerate. It’s great right away, but gets even better after 2–3 days. (use within 2 months of making, keep refrigerated)