Piri piri sauce

Our version of the popular south African sauce and marinade.

Ingredients

• 20 dried chiles de arbol
• 2 roasted red bell peppers (jarred)
• 2 yellow onions
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 lemons
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice

Directions

Slice the onion into 1/4 inch rings and separate. Heat a dry cast iron pan until smoking hot (475F in the center) and add onions. Char onions, tossing occasionally to prevent burning outright. Remove onions from pan to a blender jar.

Peel and roughly slice garlic cloves. Break stems off chiles de arbol, then break them in half and discard seeds. De-stem bay leaves. Drain jarred roasted red peppers. Add garlic, roasted red peppers, chiles de arbol, cider vinegar, rice vinegar, olive oil, sugar, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, bay leaves, black pepper and allspice to blender jar.

Zest one half of one lemon into blender jar, then juice both lemons into blender jar, discarding seeds.

Process in blender, scraping down sides. Once liquid, process on high setting until mixture forms a smooth, thick paste, about 5-7 minutes.

Notes

• Keeps in refrigerator for about 2 weeks.
• Use as a table condiment, a marinade and sauce for meats, a sauce for sandwiches, etc.
• Mix 3 tbsp with 1/3 cup mayonnaise and 1 tsp sugar to make an excellent condiment for chicken and vegetables that Nando's calls "perinaise."