consistency Thickening help.

[harperxj2]

My first batch of sauce tasted great, but it was a bit thin. I was wondering what might be the best option to thicken it up a bit. The recipe I used was a pound of peppers, four cloves of garlic, about 20 basil leaves, and a cup or so of vinegar. Our market had a huge box of hot peppers for cheap, and I added some from the garden. I made several repetitions of this and strained it all, giving me close to a gallon of sauce.

My brain came up with a couple ideas to thicken it without using any gum or starch. Would one recommend to cook it down, or remove the seeds before cooking and make a purée? I'm not sure about tomato paste. I prefer the consistency of el yucateco type sauces. Again, I was happy with the flavor, not so much the consistency.

Any tips would be much appreciated!!! Thank you!!!

 

[ColdSmoke]

http://thehotpepper.com/topic/57795-thickening-agents/?hl=agents

 

[SmokenFire]

If you don't want to use any gums or starches I'd recommend cooking the sauce down until you like the consistency.  

 

[Jeffcontonio]

I'm with smoken on this one. In the cooking world the call that a "reduction " . You basically evaporate the water off to thicken the sauce.

 

[salsalady]

Not sure how you strained it, but using a food mill will get more pulp into thge sauce, more than justvworking it through a strainer.

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Are you asking how to thicken this batch or next time you make it?
 
I'd consume this batch as is and learn from it, next batch maybe more peppers, don't strain (it removes pulp), or what SL said, etc.

 

[RaelThomas]

Xanthan gum is fantastic, you need only use a small amount and it also helps keep the emulsion from separating.

 

[harperxj2]

I should have clarified for my next batch. That just happens to be tomorrow or Sunday.

Hot pepper- I like the idea of not straining. I like to roast my peppers for about 15-20 minutes before I blend. Should I remove the seeds before or after that process? Also, would xanthan gum still be recommended?

Thanks everyone!!

 

[The Hot Pepper]

For small batch it's easy enough to remove seeds first. And you can cook and blend the peppers until you are happy with consistency. Like any sauce you can add water and keep cooking it down if it's too thick and still pulpy. Then you can boil that water out and cook to smooth, and back to the same thickness so you are not technically adding water, and add a juice you like etc, or keep some water in if you like the consistency and flavor, and do not want to add juice etc.

 

[sail&brew]

xanthan gum, about 1/4 tsp for the amount of sauce your talking about (1lb peppers, about 24 oz. of sauce)

 

[harperxj2]

Good deal! Thanks so much and I'll let you know how it goes!!!