Pepper Sauce

 The first time I ever had this sauce was actually in South Africa.

We were over at a friend of the family's home, for a lunch.  There was a barbecue going on and steaks and burgers etc.  I remember when the steaks came out, along came this fragrant and peppery sauce to accompany them.  I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to try it at first, but I love pepper and I love hot stuff so I decided to give it a try.

Wow.  It was so good, I remember going home that night and talking about it with the family, I just couldn't get the sauce out of my mind.

I later talked to the hostess and asked her if she would please tell me how to make the sauce, I was expecting something very intricate and using gourmet ingredients, but I was surprised at how simple it was.

I've been making it ever since.

Pepper Sauce

Small onion, finely chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper
butter
1 can evaporated milk (you can also use heavy cream)
cornstarch


In a small saucepan....add a little bit of olive oil, the onion, salt and pepper and some butter (I eyeball everything, I don't do measurements unless I'm following a recipe for the first time, so just use about 2 tablespoons or so).  Cook over medium heat until onion is cooked. Keep adding little bits of water to prevent it from sticking or drying out.

Once the onion is cooked, check the spices. This is a pepper sauce, my husband likes it pretty hot so I just keep adding crushed peppercorns until he is happy with it. You could certainly make this mild and add only a little bit if your kids don't like spicy stuff.

Cook for a few minutes and then add the can of evaporated milk, mix well.

In a separate little bowl or cup....add about 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and a little bit of water and mix well until smooth and free of lumps. Add to the sauce and stir until thickened, remove from the heat.