Red Sauce (Canary Islands Mojo Rojo Canario)

This pungent, acidic sauce is a specialty of the Canary Islands. The name of the sauce is derived from the Portuguese word molho, which means sauce. It can be used as a sauce, baste, marinade, or dip. Traditionally, mojo sauce is made with a base of vinegar, hot peppers, sea salt, cumin, garlic and olive oil. The red sauce is traditionally served with meat and potatoes.

1 whole head garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp. ground sweet paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 large red pepper (capsicum), seeded and finely chopped
red wine vinegar (50-100 mL)
extra-virgin olive oil (50-150 mL)
1 pinch rock sea salt

Grind the garlic, cumin, paprika and salt in the pestle and mortar.

Add in the red pepper and keep crushing / grinding / blending.

Stir in the vinegar.

Drizzle in the olive oil until you have a consistency that you could drizzle over your food. Add sea salt according to your taste.

Cover with wrap and keep somewhere cool and dry. These sauces taste better made in advance. I usually make them the day before I want to serve them and keep in the fridge. That way the flavours become more intense. 

Remove from the fridge at least half an hour before serving and stir well to allow the oil to soften and become liquid again.