The mild fruity taste of apricots makes for a fabulous base for this sweet, tangy, spicy, and smoky Chipotle Apricot Sauce. The chipotle pepper powder has that smoky spice to it enhancing the pleasing flavor of the apricots. I love to eat it on cooked chicken, white fish or use it as a marinade. This sauce is a lovely, flavorful addition to our family’s meal.
Ingredients Needed to Make Chipotle Apricot Sauce:
Makes: 6 half-pint jars
5 Cups of Pitted Apricots
1 Cup of Water
¼ Cup Finely Chopped Onion
2 Large Cloves Garlic (minced or crushed)
The peel of 1 Lemon grated or zested
1 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Chipotle Pepper Powder
½ Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Coarsely Ground White Peppercorns
1 ½ cups white wine vinegar
Preparation:
Prepare your water bath canner by filling it about halfway full with water and place it on the stove on medium heat.
Wash whole apricots under cold running water; drain. Cut apricots in half lengthwise. Remove pits. Chop apricots to measure 5 cups.
Peel and finely chop the onion; measure ¼ cup chopped onion.
Peel garlic and mince.
Cook Sauce:
add water
Add 1 cup water to a saucepan.
Add apricots
Combine chopped apricots.
Add garlic, zest, and onions
Next, add the onion, lemon zest, and garlic to the saucepan.
Cook until tender
Cook over medium-high heat until apricots and onions are tender.
Blend
Puree apricot mixture using an immersion blender.
Add remaining ingredients
Add all remaining ingredients to the apricot puree.
Bring to boil
Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to prevent sticking.
Fill Jars with the Chipotle Apricot Sauce:
Ladle hot sauce into a hot jar, leaving ½ -inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Clean the jar rim. Center the lid on the jar and adjust the band to finger-tip tight. Repeat this process until all of your jars are full.
Can in Half-Pints
Process the Jars of Chipotle Apricot Sauce:
Place the filled jars into the water bath canner. Make sure the water covers the jars by at least 1 to 2 inches. Adjust heat to medium-high, cover the water canner and bring water to a rolling boil. Process half-pint jars for 10 minutes. Adjusting processing time for your altitude.
Once the jars of hot sauce are done processing turn off the heat and remove the cover. Remove the jars from the water bath and place them spaced out on a towel on the counter. Cool 12 to 24 hours. Check seals. Label and store jars.
