This Mojo sauce was a hit at the the July 2017 Cookbook Club Meet & Eat. This Mojo recipe is for garlic-lovers, but one of our regular customers described the Mojo sauce of his youth as having a fair amount more citrus. Either way, this sauce will become a favorite and you’ll find excuses to use it.

From the Author: “Mojo is one of the primary flavoring ingredients in Cuba. At its most basic it’s composed of garlic, citrus juice, oregano, and oil. Bottled sour orange juice is common throughout the Caribbean, but if you have trouble sourcing it, regular orange juice with added lime juice is a good substitute. Sunflower oil is the most common fat in Cuba, aside from lard and butter, but in this recipe we’re using olive oil to further enhance the flavor of mojo-dressed recipes such as baked fish, fried plantains, and grilled chicken.”

Mojo

Ingredients

• 12 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 cup bottled sour orange juice, or 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice mixed with 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Crush the garlic, salt, and spices into a paste using a mortar and pestle. Alternatively, add the garlic cloves one at a time to a food processor with the motor running. Stop the processor and add the salt and spices, then pulse to combine. Add the juice and mix well.
2. Pour the mixture into a small heatproof bowl or measuring cup. Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat until nearly smoking. Carefully pour the hot oil into the garlic mixture (it may hiss and spatter) and stir to combine. Let the sauce cool and transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

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Reprinted with permission from Cuba!, by Dan Goldberg, Andrea Kuhn, and Jody Eddy, 2016. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Photography copyright 2016 by Dan Goldberg

Cuba! Recipes and Stories from the Cuban Kitchen is the July 2017 selection for the World Spice Cookbook Club. Cuba! Recipes and Stories from the Cuban Kitchen is currently available for purchase at amazon.com.