Black Mint (Huacatay) Sauce, Salsa de Huacatay

When I first tasted huacatay (Tagetes minuta), I was not exactly seduced. In fact I did not like it one bit and it was everywhere, in every dish it seemed. Now I am addicted to its indescribable flavor.  Luckily I had found frozen huatacay and aji amarillo chiles at Mi Bandera, the fabulous store in Union City, New Jersey that sells products from many Latin American countries in aisles designated with a flag from that country. A friend, the etnnojunkie, tells me that there is also a store in Corona, Queens that specializes in Peruvian and Ecuadorian products . It is Casa America at 102-02 Roosevelt Avenue (near 102nd Street.)

Last night, I made a pesto-like puree to serve with roasted baby potatoes but I had recreated a bone marrow- short rib risotto that I had a Mero Toro, one of my favorite restaurants in Mexico City, on my last visit there and it added a refreshing note to the dish and rounded out the flavor beautifully  .It is also a delicious way to add  flavor to roasted meats or fish.

If you live in New York and don’t really want to make the sauce, go to Los Americanos, a new restaurant on at 305 Church Street at Walker, owned by dear friends of mine.  They serve their roasted chicken and/or pork with a fabulous huacatay sauce.

Yields about 1 cup.

1 cup frozen or one 7-ounce jar huacatay leaves

5 frozen or canned aji amarillo chiles, tops removed, seeds removed, chopped

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Dry the frozen huacatay with paper towels if using

Place the garlic cloves and salt in the bowl of the food processor and process until pureed.  Add the huacatay and process for 1 minute or until ground.  Add the huacatay and process until smooth. Add the olive oil with the machine running until combined.