Molho Campeiro

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 2-liter saucepan
• •Immersion blender or countertop blender
• •Heatproof spoon
• •Clean 2-cup jar with lid

Instructions

1. 1

   Prep the vegetables

   Chop the tomatoes, onion and bell pepper into small, even pieces. Cut the pimenta in half and remove the seeds if you want the sauce lively instead of furious. Even pieces cook at the same pace; big chunks stay raw while tiny bits scorch, and then you'll blame the sauce when the knife was the problem.

2. 2

   Start the refogado

   Warm the oil in a heavy 2-liter saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and a pinch of the salt, then cook, stirring now and then, until the onion goes soft and see-through and the pepper loses its raw smell, about 5 to 7 minutes. This is the refogado doing its work: the vegetables murchar, their water cooks off, and the sauce begins tasting like food instead of chopped salad.

3. 3

   Add garlic and pimenta

   Add the garlic and pimenta and stir for 1 minute, just until the garlic smells sweet and sharp. Don't wander off. Burnt garlic is bitter and bossy, and in a blended sauce it spreads everywhere like bad news.

4. 4

   Cook the tomatoes

   Add the chopped tomatoes, the rest of the salt and the black pepper. Cook at a steady bubble, stirring often, until the tomatoes collapse, the sauce looks glossy at the edges, and a spoon leaves a brief trail across the bottom of the pan, about 12 to 15 minutes. You are cooking out excess water here; skip this and the blender gives you a thin red drink, not molho.

5. 5

   Balance the acid

   Stir in the vinegar and cook for 2 minutes. Taste a little on a spoon. It should be sharp enough to wake up grilled meat and rich beans, but not so sour that your face folds in half. If the tomatoes are very acidic, add the optional sugar and stir until it disappears. Sugar is not the point; balance is.

6. 6

   Blend safely

   Take the pan off the heat. Blend with an immersion blender right in the pan, or transfer the sauce to a blender only half full, remove the small center cap, cover the opening with a folded towel, and pulse until smooth. Hot sauce trapped in a closed blender builds pressure, and a ceiling painted with pimenta teaches nothing useful. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time only if the blades refuse to move. The finished sauce should coat a spoon and pour in a slow ribbon.

   If you want a rougher molho, stop while it still has tiny vegetable flecks. Smooth is practical, not mandatory. A gente is making dinner, not taking an exam.
7. 7

   Finish and rest

   Stir in the chopped parsley or green onion. Taste again for salt, vinegar and pimenta, then let the sauce rest for 10 minutes before serving. Resting lets the sharp edges settle, so the tomato, pepper and vinegar taste like one sauce instead of three people arguing in the same room.

Chef Tips

• •Buy tomatoes when they smell like tomatoes. If they are hard, pale and expensive, they are telling you no. Use one 400 g can of whole peeled tomatoes as the honest Tuesday shortcut. It works, but it won't have the same fresh sweetness.
• •Dedo-de-moça gives heat with flavor. Malagueta is smaller and meaner, so start with one. You can always make sauce hotter at the table; you cannot un-set the house on fire.
• •Skip the seasoning packet. Salt, onion, garlic, vinegar and pimenta are not mysterious ingredients. Powder is the industry charging you rent on flavor you already know how to build.
• •For churrasco, serve this after the meat rests, not as a marinade. The sauce is there to cut fat and brighten the bite, not cover the work of the grill.
• •The sauce thickens in the fridge. Stir in 1 or 2 teaspoons of water or vinegar before serving if it gets too tight. Cold, room temperature or gently warmed, it still does its job.
• •This is not a pantry preserve. Keep it refrigerated and use clean spoons, because real food also follows real safety.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead. Cool it, cover it and keep it in the fridge.
• •Freeze in 1/2-cup portions for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and stir before serving.
• •Chop the onion, bell pepper and garlic up to 1 day ahead and refrigerate them covered. Chop tomatoes closer to cooking so they don't water out.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 60g)