Salsa all’Arrabiata (Enraged Sauce)

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This recipe is from Giuliano Bugialli as profiled by Nancy Gerlach, who 
met him in Rome. She commented: “This in an all-purpose sauce that can 
be used on a variety of pastas. To really 'enrage' the sauce, replace 
the crushed New Mexican chile with chiltepíns or piquin chiles.”

Ingredients

3 pounds fresh Roma or plum tomatoes, cut in half or substitute 1 
16-ounce can of peeled Italian tomatoes
2 teaspoons crushed red New Mexican chile
3 large cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or oregano

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Place the cut tomatoes side down on a cookie pan and bake in the oven 
for 10 minutes or until they are soft. Puree the tomatoes, place in a 
saucepan, and simmer.
In a large skillet, saute the chile and garlic in the oil until the 
garlic is soft.
Add the chile mixture and sugar to the tomatoes. Season with the black 
pepper and salt and continue to simmer until the sauce thickens.
Remove from the heat and stir in the fresh herbs.

Piment Limón (Citrus Hot Sauce)

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Here is my version of the classic hot sauce of Rórigues Island in the 
Mascarenes. It is very thick, so feel free to thin with more water if 
you want. You’d think that this sauce might be sour, but it’s not–the 
sugar in the red chiles seems to temper the tart lemons. Any fresh red 
chiles can be used, and you can adjust the heat level to your liking. 
The yield is high here, but the color is so beautiful that you should 
put the excess in decorative bottles as gifts for your friends. It will 
keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. Serve it over fish or other 
seafood.

Ingredients

6 cups water
10 lemons, thickly sliced, seeds removed (or substitute limes for a 
different color)
8 to 10 red jalapeños, seeds and stems removed, halved
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

Place the water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the lemon slices 
and boil for 20 minutes. Strain, reserving the water.
Place the jalapeños in a blender and add the oil. Puree to make a thick 
paste. Add the lemon slices, a few at a time, along with 3 cups of the 
reserved water, a half cup at a time. You may have to do this in batches 
in you don’t have a large blender. Puree to a thick sauce. Pour into 
bottles and label.

Himalayan Chile Sauce

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From one of my far-flung writers, Linda Lynton, this recipe is a basic 
sauce from northern India and Nepal. She noted: “Although this specific 
recipe was given to me by a Patna housewife, some peasants originating 
from a remote Himalayan village in Central Nepal and housewives from an 
equally remote village in North Bihar gave us the same recipe.” Use it 
as a topping for chicken, fish, or vegetables.

Ingredients

 

1 pound fresh green chiles, such as serranos or jalapeños, seeds and 
stems removed,
4 small potatoes, peeled and boiled
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Water as needed

Instructions

 

Combine all ingredients in batches in a blender and process to a fine 
puree, using water as needed to achieve the desired consistency.

Sauce Gombo

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Gombo means okra in West Africa, and that vegetable is the primary
thickening agent of this simple sauce from Ghana. The sauce can be
served like a soup or poured over potatoes, plantains, or other starchy
tubers.

Ingredients

1 pound fresh okra, sliced into rounds
1 cup water
1 teaspoon hot chile powder, such as cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tomato, coarsely chopped

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and cook over medium heat for for
8 to 10 minutes, or until the okra is tender. Serve it as is or puree it
in a blended for a smoother sauce.

Salsa Colorada (Spanish Red Sauce)

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Here is a standard Spanish hot sauce would probably be prepared with the 
small, hot guindilla (“little cherry”) chiles. Serve this tasty sauce 
over steamed vegetables, roasted meats, or fish prepared by any method.

Ingredients

3 tomatoes
1 head of garlic
3 piquin, Thai, or de Arbol chiles, stems removed, crushed
2 hard-boiled egg yolks
12 almonds, peeled and toasted
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup wine vinegar
Salt to taste

Instructions

Roast the unpeeled tomatoes and garlic on a baking pan at 350 degrees 
until the tomatoes are very soft, then remove and peel them. Place the 
tomatoes and garlic cloves in a food processor or blender, add the 
crushed chile and pulse until coarsely puréed. Add the egg yolks and 
almonds and pulse several times until the almonds are broken up. Purée 
again, gradually adding the oil and vinegar, until a smooth sauce is 
formed. Add salt to taste, and keep warm over low heat until serving.