roasted sriracha

The end of the summer produce season is here, and that means that we sometimes get a lot of whatever is left in the fields in our CSA box. These items are not always the easiest to cook with and thus inspire new pickling projects, sauces and other creative uses. Here I took red jalapeños — the main ingredient in classic sriracha — and instead of blending them fresh and fermenting them, I decided to roast them to build flavor. Be sure to seed the peppers — there is a nice, mellow burn even without the seeds.

Roasted Sriracha

Ingredients:

• 2 cups red jalapeños, washed and seeded
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons safflower oil
• 1 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/8 cup rice vinegar
• 1/8-1/4 cup water

Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Wash and seed jalapeños. Peel garlic.
3. Toss in oil and put in a roasting pan.
4. Roast for 20 minutes or until the peppers are soft.
5. Scrape vegetables and residual oil into a blender.
6. Add brown sugar, rice vinegar and 1/8 cup water and blend until smooth.
7. Add more water as needed.
8. Store in the refrigerator in a sterilized glass canning jar.
9. Enjoy!