Finding my Mojo

October this year was a month of marking time for me; it was my last month working in a job that I had been in for the last four and a half years where I had worked in the company of some wonderful people. It had also been the first time I had taken a holiday abroad for over ten years.

The destination of choice was the island of Fuerteventura which is part of the Canary Islands which are situated off the coast of sub-Saharan Africa and belong to Spain. Apart from perfect weather and relaxing surroundings the island has some excellent cuisine which although bearing some similarity to Spanish cuisine also has a style of its own peculiar to the Canary Islands.

One of the dishes that was served at each evening meal we attended at the hotel was a sauce called mojo sauce which is both spicy and flavoursome. I enjoyed it so much I purchased while in Fuerteventura a recipe book that detailed many of the mojo sauces made in the Canaries. The sauces tend to fall into two categories; red sauces or green sauces and are made using sweet peppers and any number of spices.

The weekend after we landed back from Fuerteventura I was entertaining a number of guests and decided to test out my own variation on the mojo recipes on them. I took two sweet peppers, one red and one orange, topped and tailed them and sliced them lengthways. I removed all the seeds and proceeded to cut the peppers into squares. Sweet peppers are similar in texture to the peppers that are usually found in the supermarket except that in shape they are longer and more pointed.

Next I topped and tailed five cloves of garlic and then cut them into fine pieces. I put the garlic and pepper into a bowl and mixed them with a tablespoon of cumin, two tablespoons of red wine vinegar and a tablespoon of olive oil. I then added this mixture to a blender and blended it on a medium setting until the mixture transformed into a orange paste. I removed it from the blender and served it in a bowl.

The fact I had not cooked the ingredients gave the mojo a strong taste and a lot more flavour to it. I chose to serve it with cheese and biscuits where it complimented well the range of types of cheese and the biscuits I offered to my guests.

Glowing bright; this mojo tastes as fiery as it looks.