Dips and Sauces

• 1/2 cup packed fresh parsley, washed and dried
• 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro, washed and dried
• 5 medium cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons Oregano Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 cup Lemon Fused olive oil
• 1/4 cup Organic Red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste

Chop herbs and garlic in a food processor. Place in bowl. Whisk together herbs, garlic, salt, oil and vinegars. Refrigerate and use within a day or two.

• 1 pounds fresh hot peppers, stems removed, roughly chopped (serrano, cayenne, habanero, fresno, or a mix)
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 32 fluid ounces non-chlorinated water (filtered or distilled — not tap)
• 28 grams sel gris (French grey salt / Celtic sea salt)
• 1 tablespoons fresh lime juice, added after fermentation (optional)

1

Make the brine: Weigh out 28 grams sel gris (French grey salt / Celtic sea salt) and dissolve into 32 fluid ounces non-chlorinated water (filtered or distilled — not tap) (32 fl oz = 1 quart). Stir until fully dissolved. This produces a 3% brine — the right salinity for peppers, which are more mold-prone than most vegetables. Sel gris dissolves slightly slower than refined salt; give it a full minute of stirring. Chlorinated tap water inhibits the bacteria you're trying to cultivate, so don't skip the filtered water.

2

Prep and pack the jar: Remove stems from 1 pounds fresh hot peppers, stems removed, roughly chopped (serrano, cayenne, habanero, fresno, or a mix) — seeds stay in if you want full heat, or remove some to soften it. Gloves are strongly recommended for habanero or hotter varieties. Roughly chop and pack tightly into a clean 1-quart wide-mouth mason jar along with 4 garlic cloves, smashed, leaving 2 inches of headspace at the top.

3

Add brine and fit the lid: Pour brine over the packed peppers until fully submerged, maintaining that 2-inch headspace. Press the peppers down firmly. Fit your Kraut Source or ChouAmi lid system onto the jar — the spring mechanism or weight will hold the peppers below the brine line automatically, solving the submersion problem without improvisation.

4

Ferment: Fill the moat of your Kraut Source lid with clean water to activate the airlock seal, or follow your ChouAmi system instructions. Place the jar in a cool, dark location — 65 to 75°F is ideal. Bubbles should appear within 1-2 days, a sign that lacto-fermentation is underway. Begin tasting at day 7. The flavor will be bright and tangy. By day 14 it will be deeper, more complex, and more rounded. Ferment to your preference.

5

Blend and finish: Remove the fermentation lid and pour the contents — peppers, garlic, and brine — into a blender. Add 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, added after fermentation (optional) if using. Blend until smooth. For a pourable, thinner sauce strain through a fine mesh sieve, pressing the solids to extract all the liquid. For a chunkier texture, skip the straining. Taste and adjust with a small splash of reserved brine if the consistency needs loosening.

6

Bottle and store: Transfer to bottles or jars fitted with non-metal lids — the lactic acid in a properly fermented sauce will corrode metal lids over time in the refrigerator. Keeps for a year or more refrigerated. The fermentation has already done the preservation work.

Pepper choices shape everything. All hot peppers produce pure heat. Blending in sweet peppers or carrots mellows the sauce and adds body without sacrificing complexity. A few whole peppercorns or coriander seeds added to the jar during fermentation build background depth worth experimenting with.

Sel gris brings more than salinity. French grey salt and Celtic sea salt are minimally processed and mineral-rich, which meaning they contribute trace flavor the fermentation process can work with. Refined iodized table salt is not a substitute — iodine inhibits the lactobacillus bacteria that make this work.

Cloudy brine is correct. Lactic acid and natural yeast activity make the brine go cloudy as fermentation progresses. This is the process working as intended. Blend it in — don't discard it.

No vinegar during fermentation. Adding vinegar kills the bacteria you are cultivating. A small splash of fresh lime juice after fermentation is complete is fine — it adds brightness without undoing the work.

The Kraut Source lid and ChouAmi fermentation kit both solve the two main failure points — airflow management and pepper submersion — without requiring daily attention. Either system turns a standard wide-mouth mason jar into a proper fermentation vessel.

¼ cup Mushroom and Sage Olive Oil

• 12 ounces portabella mushrooms
• ¾ cup cooking sherry
• 1 garlic clove
• ¼ tsp. dried sage
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp corn syrup

Chop mushrooms, onion, and garlic.  Set aside.  Heat oil pan over medium heat.  Stir in mushrooms, onions, and garlic.  Cook for about 2 minutes stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to medium-low, add sherry, simmer 25-30 minutes, until mushrooms are  soft and most liquid is gone.  Put into a food processor, add sage, salt, and corn syrup.  Pulse until coarsely chopped, not purred.  If there is too much liquid, return it to the skillet over medium-low heat until it reaches desired consistency.

• 1 ½ tbsp. Herbs De Provence Olive Oil
• 1 large yellow onion,  diced
• ½ large red onion, diced
• 1 large leek, split in half vertically and cut into half moons
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• 2 cups sour cream
• fresh pepper to taste

Heat oil in large skillet.  Add onions, leeks, and garlic.  Saute until caramelized. Let cool and mix all ingredients in bowl.

• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup Butter Olive Oil, warmed
• 1 sea salt
• cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

Whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice, and 1 tbsp. of warm water.  Add the mixture to the jar of a blender.  With the machine continuously running, slowly pour in olive oil, a little at a time.  If the mixture thickens too quickly add a little more warm water.  Continue blending adding the remaining olive oil in a thin stream until the mixture thickens.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

• 4 tbsp. Wild Mushroom & Sage Olive Oil
• 1 10 oz. package white mushrooms, chopped fine
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp. cooking sherry (if desired)
• 1 garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ cup pine nuts
• ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
• ½ cp packed fresh parsley leaves, washed and spun dry

In a 10-12 inch non-stick skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking.  Saute mushrooms with Worcestershire sauce, sherry, and salt and pepper to taste, stirring until liquid from mushrooms is evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown (about 10 minutes).  In a food  processor, puree mushroom mixture with garlic, pine nuts, parmesan, and the rest of the oil.  Add parsley and blend until parsley is chopped fine.

• 2 ½ cups finely grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ Extra Virgin Oil
• ¼ cup dry white wine

Combine the Cheese, olive oil, and wine in a jar or bowl, stir gently until it all comes together, then press the cheese down a bit into a flat surface.  It will keep like this, drizzled with a layer of olive oil, for a few weeks refrigerated.

• 4 hot peppers of your choice
• ½ bunch cilantro
• ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• Juice from ½ lime
• 2 green onions

Combine the hot peppers, cilantro, olive oil, garlic cloves, lime juice, and green onions in the blender or food processor and blend well.  Salt to taste.