lifestyle

Clear and chunky aji chombo sauce

Ingredients

• 4 aji chombo (habanero) peppers, stems and seeds removed and cut into eight pieces each

• 1 large Spanish onion, peeled and diced

• 1 head garlic, peeled and minced

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup white vinegar

• 2 Tablespoons white sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

• In a skillet, lightly sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil, just enough so that the onions are clear and the garlic is soft but not enough to brown them

• Roast the peppers on a greased baking sheet in an oven or toaster oven --- you don't want to overdo them but a bit of browning is acceptable

• Put the cooked onions and garlic, and the oil you cooked them in, into a blender along with the vinegar, sugar and salt and liquefy these ingredients

• Thin this mixture by adding water, or thicken it by adding water and then simmering down in a saucepan, according to your taste --- a thick translucent mixture is the theoretical optimum

• Put the roasted peppers in a glass bottle or jar, then pour the mixture of the other ingredients over them

• Let the sauce stand for two days for the flame in the peppers to steep, stirring or shaking occasionally (this can be done at room temperature, but once the sauce is done you should refrigerate it)

• For table use and easy cooking, you may want to put everything in a glass condiment bottle with a plastic inner top that allows you to shake out drops of the liquid with the chunks of pepper remaining in the bottle