Mojo sauce is one of the most versatile recipes used in the Latinx culture. There are various style of mojo. In Puerto Rico we call it Mojo Criollo (formally) but at home we just call it Mojito. Mojito is used for various ways, as marinades for meats and seafood, as toppings to your tostones, yuca, or mofongo and as a base for stews. Typically, I love using it to marinade steaks, and chops, but especially in my Mayokechu! (recipe coming soon).  

Now, do you remember from last week I told you to save the green liquid from your Sofrito? Well, now is the time to take it out, let it defrost fully before beginning this recipe.

Until the flavorful goodness defrosts let me fill you in on a bit of back story of the Mojo sauce. To be clear, there are various versions of this sauce, it is as diverse as the Latinx culture itself. Red mojo, Mojo Agria, Mojo Verde, Spicy Mojo just to name a few are styles that truly depends on the culture and their availability of herbs before pre-colonial times. If they had plenty of a certain herb like parsley, mint, and even pepper than that would be the base to the recipe.

This Criollo version of the sauce was created in the Canary Islands, but the original version of the recipe goes back to Italy and Portugal. The recipe was brought over by Portuguese colonizers to the Canary Islands. Mojo derives from the Portuguese word “Molho” which translates into sauce.

Red Mojo comes from Spain tracing back to pre-Hispanic times having a heavy North African influence from Moor occupation in that region, and involves paprika, cumin, and cayenne peppers. Green mojo traces back to the Mediterranean and Italy and their version of the recipe focus more on green herbs, garlic and oils.

Now back to the recipe…

Easy Recipe

Time: About 10 minutes

Ingredients:

Hopefully your Green Cilantro flavor filled liquid which at this point is infused with Garlic, Onions, Cilantro, Recao, and various Peppers has defrosted so we can work.

1.     Your Cilantro liquid base

2.     Naranja Agria (can be bought in any supermarket)

3.     ¼ cup Olive oil

4.     Garlic 8 to 10 cloves (this is based on preference, the more you add the spicier it will be)

5.     Oregano (dried herb and ground)

6.     Salt and Pepper

7.     Cumin

8.     Sofrito

Materials:

1.     Pilón (Mortar and Pestle)

2.     Large bottle (glass is better it last longer)

3.     Funnel

Now that you have all of your items out, let’s begin. Grab your large bottle and Funnel, placing the funnel at the mouth of the bottle. Pour in the Cilantro liquid to about halfway through your glass bottle. Now, you’ll add in your Naranja Agria a quarter of the way. Make sure to leave enough space to add your garlic, olive oil and seasoning. You can add always more Naranja Agria until its full after you’ve added the rest of your ingredients.

Crush your garlic in the Pilón, not a mush consistency just mashed and cracked them up to expose the goodness. Add at least 1 tablespoon of Sofrito and add the seasonings based on your taste preference. Finish it off with the olive oil.

If you have space add more of the Naranja Agria. Shake the bottle hard, making sure all the flavors blend and then taste! Adjust the seasonings as you see fit. The garlic should shine through, she’s the star! Let this recipe sit in the refrigerator for minimum of 2 hours to allow the flavors to marry.

The Green Mojo sauce lasts in the glass bottle for about a week. Use it to marinade steaks, chops, shrimp, chicken breast. Mix it in with your fried tostones, yuca (boiled or fried), mofongo and French fries!