OnTap Magazine

FEATURE DRIFTER’S LOUISIANA STYLE HOT PEPPER SAUCE Carl Nienaber There’s a reason why Tabasco sauce is a worldwide phenomenon. It takes all the amazing depth of flavour achieved through a lactic fermentation and adds a mild chilli kick, balanced with a touch of saltiness and a vinegar tang. Tabasco is super versatile and can pair with just about any meal. We dialled up all the flavours to 11 with our take on the classic Louisiana-style sauce. It’s 100% wild-fermented, using the lactobacillus that occurs naturally on the fresh ingredients used. The chilli you choose to use is really up to you. If you want something milder, go for jalapeno or tabasco peppers. We used serrano peppers for a medium burn, but this sauce works well with habaneros too. CHILLI SAUCE TOOL BOX You’ll need: Blender (stick or jug is fine) Knife and chopping board Mixing bowl Gloves (optional but recommended) Fermenting jar or tub (min 1L) Airlock (optional) INGREDIENTS 1L water 50g salt (preferably, pickling salt or kosher salt, but regular table salt will do) 400g red serrano chillies 2 red bell peppers 3 cloves garlic 100ml vinegar (use whatever you have on hand; even plain old white spirit vinegar is fine) ¼ tsp xanthan gum (optional) Photo by: Marla Burger METHOD Boil 1L of water and add the salt, stirring until fully dissolved. Set aside to cool. Cut the stems off the chillies and set them aside. Do not remove the seeds. Deseed the red peppers and coarsely chop them. Peel and chop the garlic. Once the brine has cooled to body temperature, pour it into the blender or a large mixing bowl along with all the chopped ingredients. Blend thoroughly and then add the resulting sauce mash to your fermenting jar or bucket. I used a 1L food grade tub. Make sure to fill the fermenter all the way to the brim. We only want lactobacillus to grow inside our fermenter. Lacto is resistant to salt and it’s anaerobic, so the combination of the brine and no oxygen makes for an environment where lactobacillus will thrive but other wild yeasts or moulds cannot. Close the lid and insert your airlock. If you don’t have an airlock, make sure to open the lid of your fermenter briefly each day to let out excess carbon dioxide. Leave for at least 14 days to ferment. Check periodically for any mould growth on the top of the mash. If you encounter any mould, simply scoop it off the top. You might also need to top up the level of the mash with more brine just to keep any air from coming into contact with the mash. Strain the fermented sauce mash into a mixing bowl through a muslin cloth or fine strainer making sure to press out as much liquid from the mash as possible. The leftover solid material can be discarded, or you can use it to make chili salt or chili oil. Add the vinegar to the mixing bowl and stir well. At this point the sauce will have all its final flavours, but it will be very watery and it will settle out if it stands for a few hours. It still tastes delicious and a quick shake of the bottle will mix it all right up again. If you’d like to thicken it up and prevent separation, check out the boxed text. If not, simply fill whatever bottles you have on hand with the sauce and enjoy with breakfast, lunch or dinner. HOME CHEESE MAKING FOR BEGINNERS George Newman Cheese-making is a basic skill that has been lost to our “instant” way of life in just a few generations. The tradition of making cheese is a way to preserve milk in a manner that is in equal parts delicious and nutritious. Traditionally, cheese is made by culturing milk using enzymes and bacterial action. A coagulant, such as rennet, lemon juice, or vinegar is then added. This causes the milk protein to separate, forming a white, firm curd and leaving behind the clear, watery whey. The curd is cut into smaller cubes, then lightly drained and crumbled to form a soft cheese, or pressed to form a firm or hard cheese. For all the different types of cheeses, the steps and ingredients may vary, but the fundamentals stay the same. When you first start making cheese at home, it can be confusing and overwhelming. A fresh, soft cheese like fromage blanc is a good place to start. Fromage blanc or white cheese, is a soft, spreadable cheese with a milder flavour than yogurt. Perfect for serving on bread or crackers or as a dip for fruit or vegetables, it is very easy to make and a great option for beginner cheesemakers. YOU WILL NEED: Large stainless steel pot (4-10L capacity) Cheese cloth Thermometer Colander Slotted spoon or skimmer Large glass or stainless steel mixing bowl IMPORTANT: Everything must be cleaned and sanitised before and after cheese making . INGREDIENTS 4L pasteurised milk 1 cheese culture capsule 1 rennet capsule METHOD PART ONE: CULTURE THE MILK Heat the milk to 24°C. Remove the milk from the heat and allow the contents of the cheese culture capsule to dissolve on the surface of the milk for approximately two to three minutes. Once dissolved, thoroughly incorporate the culture into the milk using a spoon. Add the contents of the rennet capsule mixed with a little water. Using a few up-and-down strokes, incorporate TOO RUNNY FOR YOU? If you’d like your sauce a little thicker, take ¼ teaspoon of xanthan gum and stir into two tablespoons of water until it makes a runny paste. Add this to the sauce and blend it all thoroughly to ensure the xanthan paste is completely mixed in. 40 | Winter 2020 | ontapmag.co.za