Quick Chile Sauce

By Yotam Ottolenghi

Published April 22, 2020

Quick Chile Sauce
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
5 minutes
Rating
4(93)
Comments
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This sauce is a fridge staple you can spoon over anything savory, from cooked vegetables or eggs, to salads, grains, meat and fish. It’s spicy but not overtly so. You can bolster the heat by adding dried chile flakes or reduce it by using fewer fresh chiles. (Look for fresh red chiles as they amplify the color of the sauce.) You can add half a teaspoon of sugar, if you like, or make it your own by adding chopped garlic or ginger, and a handful of your favorite herb.

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Ingredients

Yield:1½ cups
  • 9Fresno chiles (about 5 ounces/140 grams) or other medium-heat chiles, preferably red, such as jalapeño or serrano, destemmed and roughly chopped
  • 1¼teaspoons kosher salt
  • 3ounces/85 grams cherry tomatoes (about 12) or 1 small vine tomato, roughly chopped
  • 3tablespoons white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar or other light vinegar
  • ¼cup/60 milliliters extra-virgin olive oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (3 servings)

193 calories; 19 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 283 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the chiles and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse a few times until chiles are chopped. (You don’t want to go too far and turn them into paste.)

  2. Step 2

    Add the tomatoes and vinegar, and pulse again in two or three short bursts, just enough to break down the tomatoes.

  3. Step 3

    Transfer to a lidded container and top with the oil. Cover and keep in the fridge up to 1 week.

Ratings

4 out of 5
93 user ratings
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Comments

Melinda Gordon

Sunshine for your palate! This sauce brightens up any meal. I have been using it all week: on salads, eggs, and as a chicken marinade.

Amy Christine

I have a garden overflowing with Fresnos and cherry tomatoes. I have now made 2 triple batches of this. It's absolutely delicious nd freezable. Terrific on white beans, pasta and vegetables!

Amy Christine

I have a garden overflowing with Fresnos and cherry tomatoes. I have now made 2 triple batches of this. It's absolutely delicious nd freezable. Terrific on white beans, pasta and vegetables!

Amy Christine

Delicious as is, and a great way to use up late summer tomatoes and chiles growing in the garden. I made a triple batch and freeze 2/3 of it for winter use.

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Can this be done with a neutral oil?

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