Is It More Expensive to Eat Well?

I think not. And I've partnered with the awesome Jenn Campus (aka The Leftover Queen) to tell you why not on today's blog post on Eating Rules.

Like Jenn, I don't go to the grocery store much any more. Initially, I stopped going because the more I shopped elsewhere, the better my food tasted. And that's all it was, a taste preference. On that basis, I thought for sure my grocery bill would go up, but, in fact, the opposite occurred. By shopping the local farmers markets and meat markets and, of course, by making an effort to cook nearly every meal, my food budget has dropped by 30 to 35 percent in the last year. And so has Jenn's. Which means buying local, in season, etc. goes beyond just taste: it's simply common sense.

Read more about it here!

While you're there, take a look around at what other folks are doing for the Unprocessed Challenge during the month of October and dare to take the challenge yourself!

My personal thanks to Rebecca, Priscilla and Dan, without whom it would have taken me who knows how many years longer to come to my senses regarding how I shop and cook.

Habanero Hot Sauce

Habanero Hot Sauce
courtesy of Rick Bayless

Ingredients

5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 medium carrot, peeled, roughly chopped
1/2 small white onion, roughly chopped
12 medium orange habanero chiles, stemmed
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Method

Roast the garlic in a skillet over medium heat, turning regularly until soft and blackened in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool and peel.

In a small saucepan, combine the carrot, onion and habanero chiles with the vinegar and 1 cup water. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the carrots are thoroughly tender, about 10 minutes. Pour into a blender jar, add the roasted garlic, salt and sugar. Blend until smooth.

If the hot sauce is too thick, add additional water. If it is too thin, blanch and peel a medium tomato and blend into the sauce.

Taste and season with additional salt if you think necessary. Pour into jars or bottles and store in the refrigerator.

makes about 2 cups

NOTES

This isn't just "burn your face off" sauce. It has depth. The roasted garlic, in particular, really shines through. The first time I put the sauce on something was that taco above and I was so pleasantly surprised with how rich the flavor was and how little my mouth burned when I was done. I've always been a chile head, but only when I learned to value complexity, as opposed to just heat heat heat, did I truly start to appreciate how awesome chile love could be.

The first time I made this recipe I tripled it based on the fact that I bought a basket of about three dozen habaneros at the farmer's market. But then triple the liquid meant the end result was too thin. That's why I put that note in the recipe above about adding some tomato, if necessary. Honestly? I encourage you to do it anyway. It thickens it only slightly, but the extra sweetness and tang it adds really, really works. If you make a batch x8, as I did recently, add two or three tomatoes. Mix of red and yellow ones, if you can get 'em.