Originally posted by Rita Y in the Beginner's Forum on 4/30/02.
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Mojo Criollo (Creole Garlic Sauce)
From Mary Urrutia Randelman, "Memories of a Cuban Kitchen"
Makes 1 cup. Mojo criollo is not for the faint hearted-it is a truly potent garlic sauce, although most of the variations served at American-Cuban restaurants are only poor imitations. Mojo is served with Mariquitas de Yuca (Yuca Shavings, see previous recipe), with most pork and chicken dishes, and with root vegetables. It is traditionally made with lard, but I prefer to substitute pure olive oil. This sauce can be made in advance and reheated as needed.
6-8 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium-size onion, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup sour (Seville) orange juice,
or 1/4 cup sweet orange juice
and 1/8 cup each fresh lime and lemon juice
1/2 cup pure Spanish olive oil
1. Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, crush the garlic with the salt to form a thick paste.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the garlic paste, onion, and juice, and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or longer.
3. Minutes before you are ready to serve the mojo, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a medium-size pan until it is very hot, add the garlic mixture (do this quickly because it will splatter), stir, and serve immediately.
To reheat, simmer over low heat until heated through, 6 to 8 minutes. The sauce keeps several weeks refrigerated.
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Mojo (Cuban Garlic-Citrus Sauce)
From Steven Raichlen, "Miami Spice"
Makes 1 cup. Mojo is to Cuban cuisine what vinaigrette is to French. Commercial brands of this tart, tangy, garlicky sauce are available in Hispanic markets and many supermarkets, but the sauce is quick and easy to prepare at home.
Like vinaigrette, mojo contains an oil (olive oil), an acid (sour orange juice or lime juice), and an aromatic flavoring (fresh garlic). The difference is that mojo is cooked, while vinaigrette is raw. Mojo lends itself well to improvisation; you can make wonderful fruit mojos, substituting pineapple juice, passion fruit juice, and other fruit juices for the lime juice in the basic recipe.
Mojo--pronounced Mo-ho--is Cuba's national table sauce. To be strictly authentic, you'd use the acid juice of the sour orange (naranja agria), a fruit that looks like a green bumpy orange but that tastes more like a lime. Sour oranges can be found at Hispanic markets. Fresh lime juice makes an acceptable substitute. Serve mojo on Cuban sandwiches, boiled yuca, grilled seafood, and meats, and just about anything else.
1/3 cup olive oil
6-8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
2/3 cup fresh sour orange juice or lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly toasted but not brown, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the sour orange juice, cumin, and salt and pepper. Stand back: The sauce may sputter. Bring the sauce to a rolling boil. Correct the seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cool before serving. Mojo tastes best when served within a couple of hours of making, but it will keep for several days, covered, in the refrigerator.
---------
Mojo Criollo (Creole Garlic Sauce)
From Mary Urrutia Randelman, "Memories of a Cuban Kitchen"
Makes 1 cup. Mojo criollo is not for the faint hearted-it is a truly potent garlic sauce, although most of the variations served at American-Cuban restaurants are only poor imitations. Mojo is served with Mariquitas de Yuca (Yuca Shavings, see previous recipe), with most pork and chicken dishes, and with root vegetables. It is traditionally made with lard, but I prefer to substitute pure olive oil. This sauce can be made in advance and reheated as needed.
6-8 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium-size onion, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup sour (Seville) orange juice,
or 1/4 cup sweet orange juice
and 1/8 cup each fresh lime and lemon juice
1/2 cup pure Spanish olive oil
1. Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, crush the garlic with the salt to form a thick paste.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the garlic paste, onion, and juice, and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or longer.
3. Minutes before you are ready to serve the mojo, heat the oil over medium-high heat in a medium-size pan until it is very hot, add the garlic mixture (do this quickly because it will splatter), stir, and serve immediately.
To reheat, simmer over low heat until heated through, 6 to 8 minutes. The sauce keeps several weeks refrigerated.
_______________________________
Mojo (Cuban Garlic-Citrus Sauce)
From Steven Raichlen, "Miami Spice"
Makes 1 cup. Mojo is to Cuban cuisine what vinaigrette is to French. Commercial brands of this tart, tangy, garlicky sauce are available in Hispanic markets and many supermarkets, but the sauce is quick and easy to prepare at home.
Like vinaigrette, mojo contains an oil (olive oil), an acid (sour orange juice or lime juice), and an aromatic flavoring (fresh garlic). The difference is that mojo is cooked, while vinaigrette is raw. Mojo lends itself well to improvisation; you can make wonderful fruit mojos, substituting pineapple juice, passion fruit juice, and other fruit juices for the lime juice in the basic recipe.
Mojo--pronounced Mo-ho--is Cuba's national table sauce. To be strictly authentic, you'd use the acid juice of the sour orange (naranja agria), a fruit that looks like a green bumpy orange but that tastes more like a lime. Sour oranges can be found at Hispanic markets. Fresh lime juice makes an acceptable substitute. Serve mojo on Cuban sandwiches, boiled yuca, grilled seafood, and meats, and just about anything else.
1/3 cup olive oil
6-8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
2/3 cup fresh sour orange juice or lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly toasted but not brown, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the sour orange juice, cumin, and salt and pepper. Stand back: The sauce may sputter. Bring the sauce to a rolling boil. Correct the seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cool before serving. Mojo tastes best when served within a couple of hours of making, but it will keep for several days, covered, in the refrigerator.