Erica De Mane

Recipe below (in text): Fresh Espelette Salsa with Thyme Vinegar and Allspice

I’m growing espelette chilis in my garden this year. They are traditional Basque chilis mainly used dried to produce piment d’Espelette, a sweet and moderately spicy paprika. So far mine are runty and green. Maybe they don’t like upstate New York weather. Considering that it’s already mid-August, I’m not sure they’ll ripen before the first frost. That’s pretty sad. But when I went over to the Union Square Greenmarket the other day, there were bins of espelettes, deep red, shiny, smelling sweet but with that touch of raw spice that glows forth even before you cut into one. Those were from South Jersey. I guess they like it there better.

The espelette pepper at peak ripeness is an amazing color that appeals to me like few others. It’s not a fire engine red, but not dark ruby either, and nothing like a blood-red beet. It’s something in between, closer to the best lipstick shade for me and many Italian American types, and it might be described as rich red. I have synesthesia, and deeply pigmented red has always been the number five for me. This color screams five.

I love making fresh chili sauces, so when I saw these espelette beauties, I knew what I had to do. I always make any chili sauce in a small batch so it will keep about two weeks and stay vibrant. I used a dozen good sized espelettes and got about two cups of beautiful salsa. It didn’t emerge as the Italian American lipstick of my dreams, but rather as a clear, deep orange, also a lovely shade. It had a nice balance of sweet, acid, and heat.

So here’s what I did:

I roughly chopped and seeded my dozen espelettes. I then heated a little olive oil in a good-size sauté pan, dropping in the chilis and letting them sauté over medium heat for a few minutes, to start softening. I added a small, chopped summer onion and a big garlic clove, sliced, plus some salt, and let that sauté for a minute or so longer. Then I added about ½ teaspoon of allspice and a teaspoon of sugar, letting them warm through to release their flavors. I gave everything a splash of thyme vinegar (if you don’t have that, just add a few thyme sprigs when you add the allspice), and let it bubble for a few seconds. I threw in about a half a cup of warm water, turned the heat down a notch, covered the pan, and let everything simmer until the chilis were very soft, about another 8 minutes. Then I turned off the heat, added a drizzle of fresh olive oil, and let things cool off a bit before puréeing the result in a food processor. Taste it after you purée for a good balance of salt, sweet, and acid, adjusting as needed.