Pineapple "Kinda Hot" Sauce

I love hot sauce — the spicier the better — but not everyone in my house feels the same way.

My husband, in particular, requested a sauce that he could enjoy with less heat that my usual choices. With a bit of experimentation, I came up with this. Sweet and bright in flavour, it has just enough heat that you don’t forget it’s a hot sauce.

Ingredients

14 red jalapeno peppers, stems and seeds removed*
6 habanero peppers, stems and seeds removed*
5 orange bell peppers, stems and seeds removed
2 full heads of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil

398 ml can of crushed pineapple
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tsp salt
juice of 2 limes

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Cut peppers into large pieces and put into a mixing bowl. Separate the heads of garlic into cloves, but do not peel them. Add them to the bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat.

2. Pour peppers and garlic onto parchment covered baking sheet, and roast for 20 minutes. The skins on the peppers should show signs of browning. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

3. Add peppers to blender. Squeeze garlic from skins and add to blender with remaining ingredients. Pulse until smooth.

*If you prefer more heat in your sauce, roast a couple of the habaneros whole — just remember to remove the stem before adding to the blender.

Makes approximately 1.5 litres of sauce.

Store in refrigerator, or can according to your local home canning guidelines.