Recipe(tried): Pique (Homemade Puerto Rican Tabasco)

This is my personal recipe. Each cook prepares it differently.

PIQUE DE PUERTO RICO

1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup white cider vinegar
8 small red chilies (the ones native to Puerto Rico)*
4 garlic cloves, in big slices
1 tbsp black peppercorns in whole grains, without crushing
1/2 tsp oregano leaves (dry)
1/8 tsp salt

Use a big glass bottle with a good cover.

Mix the juice and vinegar and add to the bottle. Add the other ingredients, one by one, into the same bottle. Add more vinegar and pineapple juice in a half to half proportion until the bottle is filled.

Cover tightly and keep in the cupboard for 1 week before using. After the first week, keep in the refrigerator.

It is extremely hot. Use by teaspoons to add to soups, salads, gazpachos, as ingredient in the Ajilimoli, and as a substitute for vinegar. The smell is terrific. It is the Puerto Rican Tabasco.

*Remember, use the pique sparingly. And do not crush the chilis because then it will be deadly!