Guasacaca (Barbecue Sauce from Venezuela)

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This is by far the most unusual barbecue sauce in Latin America. Because 
it contains fresh avocados, it must be used immediately and cannot be 
stored. Use it to marinate and/or baste grilled or barbecued shrimp, 
beef slices, or chicken.

Ingredients

1 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 habanero chile, seeds and stem removed, minced, or substitute 2 jalapeños
1 large ripe avocado, peeled and pit removed
2 cups peeled and chopped ripe tomatoes
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar or substitute lime juice
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 tablespoons minced parsley (Italian preferred)
Salt to taste

Instructions

With a mortar and pestle, mash the onion, garlic, chile, avocado, and 
tomatoes into a paste (this may need to be done in batches). Add the 
remaining ingredients and blend well with a fork.

Salsa de Ají (Ecuadorean Fresh Chile Sauce)

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This is a basic but classic Latin American salsa recipe collected in 
Ecuador. Although this recipe calls for the use of an electric blender, 
one can follow the traditional method of using a mortar and pestle. 
Ecuadorians are very fond of putting beans in their salsa. The most 
popular beans are the lupini, which are large white beans about the size 
of lima beans. Just add the cooked beans directly to the salsa. Use this 
salsa as a dip for chips or as a topping for grilled meats.

Ingredients

2 large tomatoes, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
4 large, fresh ají chiles, seeds and stems removed, chopped or 
substitute yellow wax hot or jalapeño
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

Instructions

Combine the tomatoes, onion, and cilantro in a bowl.
Place the chiles, water, and 3 tablespoons of the tomato and onion 
mixture in a blender or processor and puree until smooth.
Add the chile puree to the remaining tomato mixture and mix well. Salt 
to taste.

Miguel’s Peruvian Ají Sauce

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I grow a lot of Peruvian ají chiles in my garden every year, and I 
always put aside a large bag of them to take to Miguel, our computer 
wizard friend from Peru. On my second or third trip to Miguel's (it was 
a bumper harvest of chiles), he was having a late lunch with this ají 
sauce over his rice.

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil
4 or more fresh ají chiles, seeds and stems removed, minced, or 
substitute jalapeños
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Instructions

Heat the oil in a small skillet, and when it's hot, add the chiles and 
the garlic, lower the heat, and stir constantly to avoid burning the 
garlic. Add the remaining ingredients and stir. Simmer for ten minutes 
and then serve warm over rice or pasta.

Ocopa Sauce Arequepa-Style

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From Arequipa, Peru, one of the hottest (chile-wise) cities in Latin 
America, comes this unusual, delicious sauce that is traditionally 
served over boiled and sliced potatoes that are garnished with lettuce, 
olives, and hardboiled egg slices. Try it over fried fish as well.

Ingredients

8 dried yellow ají chiles, seeds and stems removed, soaked in water to 
soften and pureed, or substitute 6 New Mexican red chiles
3 saltine-type crackers, crushed
1/4 cup walnuts, ground in a spice mill
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup crushed onion
1 clove garlic, mashed
2 hard-boiled eggs, minced
12 cooked shrimps, peeled and mashed
Milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine the chiles, crackers, walnuts, cheese, 
vegetable oil, onion, garlic, eggs, and shrimps and mix well to make a 
thick paste. Drizzle in the milk as needed and, using a potato masher, 
transform the paste into a thick sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Yield: About 2 1/2 cups

Salsa de Mani (Hot and Spicy Peanut Sauce)

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This is a commonly made sauce served over potatoes in Ecuador. The 
amount of chile in the recipe can be adjusted to be mild or wild, 
however you wish. This side dish would add also spice to any meat or 
seafood dish for a truly exotic dinner.

Ingredients

1/2 cup peanuts
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup peanut oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ají chile powder, or substitute piquin or cayenne
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
1/2 cup grated goat or feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend at 
high speed for a few seconds, or until smooth. Place in a pan and heat 
over low heat for five minutes, stirring constantly. Do not boil the 
sauce. Serve the sauce over hot cooked potatoes.