Pibil Hot Sauce
Pibil Hot Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small red onion (or half a large)
- 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- 5 ounces sour orange juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground annatto powder
- 2 habaneros, deseeded and deveined, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Dice the red onion and add to a small pot over medium-low heat. Gently saute 3-4 min until beginning to turn translucent.
- Add minced garlic, oregano, salt, and tomato paste. Continue to saute 4-5 min until the raw garlic smell is gone and the onion is completely cooked through. Lower the heat if the onion begins to brown.
- While the onion is cooking, WEAR GLOVES and prepare your habaneros. I do not recommend handling with bare hands. Set aside, this is blended into the sauce raw.
- Once the onion has cooked down, add the annatto and sour orange juice. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 more minutes. Taste for salt and add more if you prefer.
- Add the cooked ingredients to your preferred vessel for stick blending and add the butter and prepared habaneros. I prefer to stick blend this recipe as it makes a little under 2 cups. If you use a normal sized blender, treat appropriately as this is a hot liquid. Prop the lid part way and cover the vent with a paper towel or kitchen towel. Blend on a low setting first, then high to puree. Serve or refrigerate.
As much as I love to cook, explore new food, and meal plan, sometimes you just want to change up an old favorite. Our house probably eats more chicken wings and chicken strips than anyone would expect. I think we end up grabbing a bag of chicken strips from the grocery store on our block about three times a month. The chicken wings once or twice a month. My friends and coworkers think we cook everything we eat and we certainly do most of it, but I would totally eat chicken strips a couple times a week if I wasn't trying to be a little more eco-conscious of my meat consumption.
Now, I'm not going to get all ethical here because I'm just wanting to share the good stuff: tasty food. Use this sauce however you want! But, I'll admit it was born of an urge to change up our wing sauce routine. I will say I have also used it for my Buffalo Quinoa Bites (coming soon in a post!) instead of a traditional buffalo wing sauce and it was delicious. Chicken and waffles have been slathered with this tangy, spicy goodness (See main page banner).
Between reading up on Rick Bayless' travel adventures in Mexico and coming across this Pibil Chicken recipe, this family of flavors really peaks my interest. I really hope to visit the Yucatan peninsula someday and enjoy the cuisine in person.
I will insist that sour orange (or bitter orange) and ground annatto are essential to this recipe and will likely need sourced from a Latin grocer or online.
1. Dice the red onion and add to a small pot over medium-low heat. Gently saute 3-4 min until beginning to turn translucent.
2. Add minced garlic, oregano, salt, and tomato paste. Continue to saute 4-5 min until the raw garlic smell is gone and the onion is completely cooked through. Lower the heat if the onion begins to brown.
3. While the onion is cooking, WEAR GLOVES and prepare your habaneros. I do not recommend handling with bare hands. Set aside, this is blended into the sauce raw.
4. Once the onion has cooked down, add the annatto and sour orange juice. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 more minutes. Taste for salt and add more if you prefer.
5. Add the cooked ingredients to your preferred vessel for stick blending and add the butter and prepared habaneros. I prefer to stick blend this recipe as it makes a little under 2 cups. If you use a normal sized blender, treat appropriately as this is a hot liquid. Prop the lid part way and cover the vent with a paper towel or kitchen towel. Blend on a low setting first, then high to puree. Serve or refrigerate.
