If the classic mother sauces have intimidated you, causing you to steer away from sauce making, here’s a manageable recipe for you. This is likely the easiest and most forgiving multipurpose sauce you’ll ever make. One of the best parts about it is that the ingredients are interchangeable, but the technique stays the same. Just toss some veggies on a parchment-lined pan and roast them until they are soft and have a nice bit of char to deepen the flavor.
This version features roasted tomatillos, but feel free to use tomatoes and add other leftover veggies you may have. You could also make a creamy version by adding sour cream at the end, or you might experiment with different vinegars to flavor the sauce. Adjust the amount of hot peppers you add to accommodate your preferred spice level.
Add sauce to items like:
- Steak fajitas with sauteed onions, cheese and avocado
- Roasted poblano peppers stuffed with chicken and cheese
- Faux lasagna made with layers of thin, horizontally sliced eggplant
- Grilled shrimp marinated in lime, garlic and cilantro
- Roasted pork or chicken
The possibilities are endless.
Ingredients:
- 8 small tomatillos, husks removed, washed and cored (substitute 4-5 medium tomatoes here if desired)
- 1 large yellow onion, skin removed
- 2 hot cherry peppers (or other spicy pepper variety), stem end removed
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 tsp salt
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 500°.
2. Prepare the veggies by cutting them into large chunks — onions in quarters, peppers in halved (seeds intact), tomatillos halved. Leave garlic cloves whole. Spread them all on a parchment lined pan and drizzle with coconut oil.
3. Roast for 10-15 minutes in the center of the oven until soft and veggies have a bit of char.
4. Slide all veggies and juices into a blender. Add olive oil, lime juice and salt. (Or, if you plan to add sour cream or vinegar, this is the time to add.) Pulse to blend.
Makes about 2 cups. Freezes well.