Blueberry Bar-B-Que Sauce

Blueberry Bar-B-Que Sauce

Making barbecue sauce is similar to chutney but with a few different ingredients. I love making barbecue sauce out of fruit like blueberries or plums instead of tomatoes. I once made pulled pork sliders, slow-cooked in a homemade blueberry barbecue sauce, which was topped with a mango fennel coleslaw on soft Hawaiian rolls for a birthday lunch. The guests all stopped talking. Fresh, homemade food will do that to people. Don’t you want to give it a go?

1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small to medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-quart blueberries
3 chipotle chiles, ground, or 2 fresh jalapeños, 
   minced without seeds
½ teaspoon paprika
1½ tablespoons cider vinegar
¼ cup unsulfured molasses

Juice of ½ lemon
Coarse salt and black pepper, freshly ground

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Stir in blueberries, chiles, vinegar, molasses, paprika and lemon juice. Simmer over medium-low heat until reduced by a third, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly, then purée using an immersion blender (if you don’t have one, purée the sauce in a blender, in batches). Season with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate in a jar with tight- tting lid for up to 2 weeks.