Serves     1 cup

Ingredients

This recipe is a keeper for me. I want to put it on everything! It’s kind of like a spicy ketchup. I’m usually afraid of the habanero chile, but I decided to go all the way with it and add it to my sauce, seeds and all. For my taste, it provided just the right amount of heat, I’d give it 3 stars on the 1 to 5 heat scale. If you remove the seeds before you put the chile into the sauce, you will have a milder sauce. 

 

Ingredients 

1 small onion, coarsely chopped, about ¾ cup 

1 garlic clove, chopped 

1 tbsp. tomato paste 

6 ripe roma tomatoes (about 1 lb.) chopped 

1 habanero pepper or Scotch bonnet pepper (seeds removed for less heat) 

1 bay leaf 

1 tsp. kosher salt 

1 tbsp. butter 

Directions

Heat up a small sauce pan and add the oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté until onion has softened. Add the tomato paste and stir until the paste coats the bottom of the pan and begins to caramelize a bit. Add the chopped tomatoes, habanero pepper, bay leaf, and salt. Simmer partially covered over low heat until the tomatoes break down and become thick, about 30 minutes.

Scrape the mixture into a blender jar (remove the bay leaf), along with the butter, and blend until smooth.  

Country:
Gambia


Notes and Instructions

Recipe and photo credit: Linda McElroy 

Adapted from “Yolole! Recipes from the Heart of Senegal” by Pierre Thiam