GUASACACA

SRA. MARIFE'S REVERSED ENGINEERED DELICIOUS SAUCE

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Talk about guarded secrets…. This was first whipped up on a whim when we were teenagers and wanted to grill some meat. We asked Sra. Chirinos for a guasacaca and we still don’t know if this is a real recipe or something she made up on the spot. The long and short of it is… it was delicious and we would never grill food together without it nearby for a hearty dip or drizzle. It goes well with meats, fried yucca, rice, you name it. The core of this recipe is really a chimichurri style dressing, but instead of all the bells and whistles of spices, vinegars, white wine, etc… its simply just great, fresh, blended vegetables. They lend a surprisingly complex tang and palette cleansing touch to a greasy and smoky meal.

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FLAVOR NOTES:

The sauce will be sour with strong onion and pepper flavor. The taste should be fresh and palette cleansing with bitter undertones. ALT1: adding a Jalapeño or other spicy pepper is also a nice combination.

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INGREDIENTS:

		| RATIO:
2	Green Bell Peppers	| 2
1	White Onion (Sweet or plain white will do)	| 1
2	Garlic Cloves	| 2
1	Lime (Lemons will also do)
1 tsp	White Vinegar
3/4 cup	Fresh Cilantro
1/4 cup	Fresh Parsley (Optional)
1 tsp	Sea Salt
1/2 tsp	Sugar (Optional to counter bitterness)
1/2 tsp	Black Pepper
1-2 Tbsp	Vegetable Oil (Olive oil will work, but adding sugar is suggested)

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INSTRUCTIONS:

• Chop large vegetable ingredients into large cubes
• Mince and puree garlic
• Chop cilantro and parsley (remove thicker part of the stems)
• Place all ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth texture.
• Taste and adjust for flavor

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INGREDIENT NOTES:

Any vegetable variations in the onion and pepper family are likely going to yield interesting and complementary results to this sauce. But there are a couple that seem worthy of mentioning:

- Adding half of an avocado will add a very nice creaminess to the sauce. But it limits its longevity in the fridge.

- Using red and yellow bell peppers along with carrots will make it a sweeter sauce.

- Ají-dulce will increase the potency of the pepper flavor and add it’s signature floral overtones and spicyness.

Lastly, combining other fresh vegetable,s citrus juice, and perhaps fruits is worth trying. Use these combinations as marinades and salad dressings.

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