Hooray! Chile season is here! We are big fans of chiles and chile sauces. So much so that there is an entire chapter devoted to them in Mastering Sauces. Tabasco is practically a religion for Jeff. Sriracha is always at hand – both homemade and the rooster variety. Tapatio is served with every taco. Homemade Chinese Chile Oil, Korean chiles (gochugaru and gochugang), extra hot Indian ground chiles, whole dried New Mexican, ancho, chipotles…oh dear, it might be best not to count. The quantities, varieties, and prices now available at the farmer’s market make fresh chiles almost impossible to pass up.
Last Sunday, when the market opened, I dashed straight to the Tonnemaker’s Farm stand in search of just the right peppers to make this year’s batch of Homemade Sriracha Sauce (page 302). For sriracha you need peppers that are both hot and slightly fleshy. Cleaning several pounds of tiny hot chiles is a real pain, but if you choose too many fat, thick-walled chiles, the sauce gets too sweet, mild, and pulpy. I started with a case of fresh cayenne peppers. Then I tasted the fruity, bright peppers in the case above them, and had to take half a case more. Ooh, what about those! And those! I came home with 2 ½ cases. Today I have 24 jars of Homemade Sriracha Sauce, 5 jars of spiced pickled peppers, two strands of long chiles drying outside, a sheet pan of Indian hot chiles drying in the oven, and half a case of random chiles to play with. It was time for something spontaneous.
Currently, our favorite store-bought chile sauce is Secret Aardvark Habañero Hot Sauce from Portland, Oregon. 
Unlike some habañero sauces, it’s boldly flavored with a lot of balanced acidity, sweetness, and a touch of umami. The base includes fire-roasted tomatoes and the chiles add a deep layer, not just a top note flash. I had a handful of little lantern-shaped hot red chiles left in the case, so I thought I’d fake my own batch of something similar. Mine is definitely different. It’s hotter and not as naturally fruity. I strongly urge you to seek out and try the true Secret Aardvark sauce, but I consider this a successful spontaneous alternative, and it was great smeared on last night’s cider soaked chicken.
“Almost Aardvark” Chile Sauce
Yield: 1 ½ cups
2 medium, very ripe tomatoes
3 oz. habañero or similar chile (about 12)
A wedge of onion, about 3 oz.
2 tsp canola or vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped carrot
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 cup water, or as needed
2 teaspoons coarse mustard, or use Dijon
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon powdered citric acid
Char the tomatoes, chiles and onion until the skins are black and blistered. Remove and discard the cores and bigger, tough pieces of skin from the tomatoes. Some black should remain. Snip the stems from the chiles and chop. Chop the onion.
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and garlic and sauté until starting to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the chiles and tomatoes and stir well to mix. Add the vinegar, salt, cumin, pepper, and coriander. Add enough water to make the mixture slightly soupy. Bring to a boil and cover. Simmer until the carrots and chiles are completely tender, about 1 hour. If, at any time, the sauce seems dry or jammy, add a bit more water.
Stir in the mustard and citric acid and puree until not quite smooth. If you prefer your sauce without seeds, blend until liquefied, but not perfectly smooth. Adjust with additional citric acid, salt, or a pinch of sugar or water to thin. If it is too thin, you can add the tiniest bit of xanthan gum to pull it together and add a touch of viscosity.
Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
NOTE: Unlike the recipes published in Mastering Sauces, My Spontaneous Sauce Recipes are quickly jotted down and not meticulously tested. Please make adjustments as you see fit.