Aji Verde Sauce

Sooo, I'm not sure how popular Peruvian food is around the US, but in New York there are a ton of options.  Where I live now the closest Peruvian restaurant is almost 45 minutes away which doesn't help me at all.  This sauce in particular is an attempt at a sauce Kerry got me hoked on from Pio Pio, they also have a version of it at one of my favorite Brooklyn hideaways Luz.

For years we haven't been able to figure out how to make the sauce ourselves, so we've been buying it in batches, even smuggling it home on a plane once LOL.  So although this isn't identical, it definitely came close, a little trial and error could perfect it.  If you've ever had this sauce or try to make it from this recipe you should know it should be a lot more smooth, but my blender is MIA so I had to use a food chopper.  It should turn out that light green color with no chunks.

I found the recipe I used on sundaynitedinner.com accompanying a recipe for Peruvian Roast Chicken which I've tried before.  The Roast Chicken recipe was tasty, but I haven't mastered making a whole chicken the way I like, so I opted for store bought in hopes to really enjoy the sauce.  The only thing missing from my plate was sweet plantain, but I was too hungry to wait.  The flavor of the Aji Verde is spicy but fresh, probably because of the fact that you don't have to cook it at all, plus it requires a lot of Cilantro.

I've never had this mix on anything other than chicken, but I have some left, and will be putting it on any and everything until I'm sick of it.  There's actually a Peruvian potato dish I used to get at potlucks at my old church, maybe I'll hunt that recipe down and see how it all goes together. 

If you want to give it a try I used:

3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup cotija cheese (found this at Walmart surprisingly)

1/3 cup E.V.O.O.

1/3 cup water

2 to 3 Jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and diced (keep the seeds for extra heat)

1 clove garlic chopped

1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Enjoy!