tio manuel + tia nita's piri piri sauce

Besides my family, one of the best things about Portugal is the food. I think I eat pretty luxuriously at home, but it is hard to compete with fresh produce + meat from the farm in the back yard.

While my Tio Manuel + Tia Nita live in the city of Viseu, a visit to their house always includes a show-stopping meal. One night, I drizzled my veal with their homemade piri piri + it was instant, spicy love.  I had to have it at home. To my delight, it was the easiest thing to put together.

To make this simple piri piri sauce, you will need:

• Dried piri piri chilies
• Whiskey
• Olive oil
• A jar

Step 1: Pour your chilies into your clean jar.

Step 2: Pour the whiskey into the jar until it is about 3/4 full. Let it sit in a cool, dark place for at least a month. (waiting is the most difficult bit)

Step 3: After a month, top the jar up with some good quality extra virgin olive oil.

Finished! Your piri piri is now ready to use on meats, seafood, soups or whatever your heart desires. If you are feeling crafty, you can label your jar. I used Martha Stewart craft labels.

Do note, that this is not the traditional sauce you will find in stores but a simple family rendition. We serve this with a spoon in the jar and just let the sauce drip from the spoon. It is quite spicy, so use with caution. Also, you probably don't want to eat the physical chili unless you had blended chilies in your baby food + are super immune to the stuff. Enjoy!