Cookbooks

Puerto Rican-StyleAjí DulceSauce (Ajilimójili)

October 30, 2013

Editor's note:Use this with Maricel Presilla'sBoiled Yuca (Yuca Hervida).

Ajilimójili(ah-hee-lee-MOH-hee-lee) is the wonderful whimsical name for this Puerto Ricaninspired sauce. How to translate this tongue-twister? It seems that it is a composite of the wordsajo(garlic) andmoje(sauce), but much more can be drawn from it. In Cuba and the Mexican state of Tabasco,ajilimójiliis a colloquialism for the Castilian Spanishintríngulis, a hidden reason that is suddenly revealed, or the workings necessary to pull something off, or the key to making a difficult feat look simple. Why was this sauce calledajilimójili? Perhaps because it has its ownajilimójili—the "inner workings" to make any food it touches splendid. Serve withPuerto RicanPasteles.

Ingredients

Makes about 2 1/4 cups

12 Caribbean sweet peppers (ajíes dulces)

1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

1/2 Scotch Bonnet or habanero chile, seeded

7 garlic cloves, peeled

1 small yellow onion (about 5 ounces), coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup distilled white vinegar

1 bunch cilantro, leaves stripped from stems (about 2 cups)

1 1/4 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process to a coarse emerald-green sauce. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for 2 to 3 days.

Cover of the cookbook Gran Cocina Latina featuring a mortar and pestle and various ingredients used in Latin American cooking.

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Reviews (1)

Gave some to guest to make home they live it.thank you
- Lola
- 12/13/2021