With all the peppers some of you gardeners have at this time of year, I thought this might be of interest...
Cannabis-Infused Hot Sauces
Terms like indica, sativa and hybrid are often used to describe effects of cannabis cultivars – but what do they actually mean? These terms help describe the region from which the landrace cultivar originated.
Many indica strains originated from harsh weather environments, giving them shorter, stockier bodies, broad leaves to help catch all the sun available, and heavy trichome production to help protect the plant when temperatures drop. Sativa strains, on the other hand, are often from regions with warmer weather. These cannabis plants often have long, thin leaves to bask in the sun and can grow over several feet tall. Hybrids came later, with the interbreeding of indica and sativa.
Enter the cannabis infused hot sauce; I made these infused hot sauces using some Peruvian peppers which I salted overnight, drawing out some of their juice to help the cooking process while developing flavour along the way. The peppers have interesting fruit notes, especially the Aji Panca which is almost raisin-like in aroma.
These hot sauces serve as an analogy to consuming cannabis: like cannabis, hot sauces come in a range of aromas and flavours, and everyone experiences them differently. Some may find the Jalapeno Lime to be blistering hot while others may find the Aji Panca to be sweet. All of our taste receptors are composed differently, just like our
endocannabinoid systems.
I suggest sampling different strains with an array of terpene profiles to find out what works best for the experience you are looking for.
Mild: Jalapeno Pepper & Lime
Prep time: 12 hours – overnight salting of peppers
Cook time: 1 hour
Makes 750 ml or 25 portions at 2 tbsp per portion
You will need:
2 green bell peppers – choose ones that are firm
1 cup onion – small dice
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 cup tomatillo – approximately 3 medium pieces – cut into wedges
5 garlic cloves
2/3 cup pickled jalapeno juice – juice drained from a jar of pickled jalapenos
1 tsp cannabis-infused grapeseed oil – choose a strain high in limonene (fresh, sour and citrusy)
1 tbsp sea salt for salting peppers
1 lime – zested and juiced
¼ tsp xanthan gum
2 tbsp fresh cilantro
salt to taste
1. Cut tops off the green bell peppers and jalapenos; remove all seeds then cut into medium diced pieces.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, add the chopped green bell peppers, jalapenos and 1 tbsp sea salt. Mix thoroughly. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
3. The next day, in a medium-sized pot on medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (can be substituted with a neutral-flavoured cooking oil if preferred) and sauté onions, garlic, green bell peppers and jalapeno peppers until soft.
4. Once peppers and onions are soft, add tomatillo, lime zest, lime juice, pickled jalapeno juice and cannabis-infused grapeseed oil, then continue to cook over medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes until all ingredients are soft but still leave a bit of liquid in the pot.
5. Once the pepper mixture is cooked down transfer cooked ingredients to blender, pulse blend on low speed for 1 minute until mixture is well mixed but ingredients still have a little texture, then add the xanthan gum and cilantro, and pulse blend for 10 seconds.
6. Leave sauce to cool, then season to taste with sea salt.
Medium: Aji Amarillo & Mango
Prep time: 12 hours – overnight salting of peppers
Cook time: 1 hour
Makes 750 ml or 25 portions at 2 tbsp per portion
Serving size: 2 tbsp sauce = 30 ml
You will need:
2 yellow bell peppers – choose ones that are firm
1 cup onion – small dice
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 cup ataulfo mango – diced – approximately 1 large mango
4.5 tbsp aji amarillo puree – this can be found at most Latin supermarkets
6 cloves garlic – minced
¾ cup rice wine vinegar
4 tsp cannabis-infused grapeseed oil – choose a strain high in myrcene (sour, citrus and hops)
1 tbsp sea salt for salting peppers
1/8 tsp xanthan gum
1. Cut tops off the yellow bell peppers and remove all seeds, then cut into medium diced pieces.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, add the chopped yellow bell peppers and 1 tbsp sea salt. Mix thoroughly. Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
3. The next day, in a medium-sized pot on medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (can be substituted with a neutral-flavoured cooking oil if preferred), then sauté onions, garlic and the yellow bell peppers until soft.
4. Once the yellow peppers and onions are soft, add aji amarillo puree, peeled and diced mango, rice wine vinegar and cannabis-infused grapeseed oil, and continue to cook over medium low heat for 20-25 minutes. While the peppers are cooking it’s a good idea to stir every so often.
5. The pepper mixture should be still a bit saucy with all ingredients becoming soft and tender. Transfer cooked ingredients to blender, blend on high-speed for 1 minute or until smooth, then add the xanthan gum and blend for 30 seconds. Season to taste with sea salt. If sauce is overly hot it can be balanced with a bit of honey or white sugar.
Hot: Aji Panca & Honey
Prep time: 12 hours – overnight salting of peppers
Cook time: 1 hour
Makes 750 ml or 25 portions at 2 tbsp per portion
Serving size: 2 tbsp sauce = 30 ml
You will need:
2 red bell peppers – choose ones that are firm
1 cup onions – small diced
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
3 tbsp aji panca puree – this can be found at most Latin specialty markets
3 Thai chillis – these can be extremely hot; I recommend using gloves when prepping them
5 cloves garlic – chopped
½ cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cannabis-infused grapeseed oil – choose a strain high in caryophyllene (spicy)
1 tbsp sea salt for salting peppers
1/8 tsp xanthan gum
Method:
1. Cut tops off the red bell peppers and remove all seeds, then cut into medium diced pieces. Cut the tops off the Thai chilis, keeping these seeds.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, add the chopped red bell peppers and 1 tbsp sea salt. Mix thoroughly. Cover and place in refrigerator overnight.
3. The next day, in a medium-sized pot on medium-high heat, add 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (can be substituted with a neutral-flavoured cooking oil if preferred), then sauté onions, garlic and the red bell peppers until soft.
4. Once red peppers and onions are soft, add aji panca pepper puree, rice wine vinegar, Thai chilis, honey, paprika and cannabis-infused grapeseed oil, and continue to cook over medium low heat for 20-25 minutes. While the peppers are cooking it’s a good idea to stir every so often.
5. The pepper mixture should still be a bit saucy with all ingredients becoming soft and tender. Transfer cooked ingredients to blender, blend on high-speed for 1 minute or until smooth, then add the xanthan gum and blend for 30 seconds. Let sauce cool and then season to taste with sea salt. If sauce is overly spicy it can be balanced with honey or white sugar.
