My spicy pepper choice this summer was all about habaneros; specifically chocolate, spicy mustard and the rare and elusive white habanero. As any home gardener knows, once you commit to planting edibles in your garden, you spend the next several months watering, chasing bunnies, pruning, staking, and relocating them to different sunny spots for maximum exposure. Last week my patience finally paid off, and I’ve harvested an amazing crop of peppers. So off to the kitchen I went to create some new spicy, flavorful dishes while they were plump and fresh.

Advanced warning, the next several weeks of recipes are going to be all about peppers and delicious spicy heat so get ready!

I made this salsa with the chocolate habaneros to serve with braised pork street tacos. The sweet and spicy combination of the peppers, plums and pineapple spooned on top, perfectly complimented the tender pork and gave each bite a low, smoky heat. I would rate the heat level 5 out of 10 using the amounts listed below.

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh pineapple juice
2 cups black plums, coarsely chopped
2 chocolate habanero peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 cups fresh pineapple chunks, coarsely chopped
1 cup green onions, sliced into rounds
1 cup plum sauce
1 cup fresh pineapple, diced into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1) Heat the olive oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the plums through the green onions and cook for five minutes until the flavors are released.

2) Stir in the plum sauce and the pineapple juice, and season with salt and pepper.

3) Continue cooking the fruit for 10 – 15 minutes until the pineapple is soft.

4) Using an immersion blender, blend the ingredients together until smooth.

5) Add the smaller pieces of pineapple to the pot and cook an additional 15 – 20 minutes, until thickened.

What to serve this with? Braised pork street tacos on grilled corn tortillas.