Mojo is the essential accompaniment in Canarian cuisine, the one that turns any dish into a delicacy. That’s why we have chosen it as the protagonist of our first gastronomic workshop at La Quinta Roja, framed in the Tenerife Hoteles Creativos project of Ashotel.
For this workshop, we have asked two housewives from the neighboring Isla Baja, Flora and Chacha, to share with our guests their family recipes and all their little tricks for making the perfect mojo.
There is not a single recipe for mojo, nor just one type — they vary by island, municipality, and even by family.
In this workshop, Flora and Chacha taught us to make three types of mojos in their own way: red mojo, saffron mojo, and green mojo. All absolutely finger-licking good.
Note: In every respectable Canarian household, cooking is done by observing mothers, grandmothers or aunts in the kitchen. Women who learned to cook by eye and instinct, so the amounts are never exact. A Canarian mother will never give you a recipe in grams but in terms like “pinches,” “a bit of,” “a dash,” or “a good splash.” So you must cook carefully, tasting, adjusting, and trusting your own instinct.
Chacha’s Saffron Mojo Recipe
Ingredients: (for ~500 ml)
6 or 7 garlic cloves
A generous handful of toasted saffron
A slice of toasted bread or some toasted almonds (6)
Salt
½ liter of olive oil (0.4°)
A good splash of white wine vinegar
Toast the saffron in a pan.
Fry the slice of bread or toast the almonds.
Peel the garlic cloves and crush them in a mortar with the salt and the saffron. Add the bread slice or the almonds, which help thicken. Add the oil and the vinegar and continue crushing in the mortar until all ingredients are well mixed.
If you want a finer, creamier texture, you can blend all the ingredients in a blender. Taste and adjust salt and vinegar.
Saffron mojo is usually served with dried fish dishes, but it’s also delicious with fresh cheese or papas arrugadas (wrinkled potatoes).
Flora’s Red Mojo Recipe
Ingredients: (for ~500 ml)
5 garlic cloves
1 Palmera pepper (you can substitute another kind of pepper — spiciness will vary)
3 red peppers
1 small spoonful of salt
1 small spoonful of ground cumin
½ liter of olive oil (0.4°)
A good splash of white wine vinegar
Almonds
Boil water and once it comes to a boil, put in the Palmera pepper and leave it for a few minutes. Let it rest in the hot water a little so it hydrates and softens.
Peel and chop the garlic. Chop the red peppers into squares. Chop the Palmera pepper into squares.
In a mortar or blender, place the garlic, salt and cumin and grind. Add the pepper(s) and red peppers and grind again. Add oil and vinegar until it emulsifies. If you want to thicken the mojo, add some toasted almonds and blend again.
This mojo can be kept in the fridge for months.
Red mojo is usually eaten with roasted meats, grilled goat cheeses, fish, gofio amasado or papas arrugadas.
Chacha’s Green Mojo Recipe
Ingredients: (for ~500 ml)
- 5 garlic cloves
- A generous bunch of parsley
- A generous bunch of cilantro
- 1 small spoonful of salt
- ½ liter olive oil (0.4°)
- A good splash of white wine vinegar
- Avocado (optional)
Peel and chop the garlic. Take a bunch of parsley and another of cilantro, chop them with a knife and put them in the mortar or blender together with the garlic and crush well. Add salt, about 400 ml of oil, and a good splash of white wine vinegar.
If desired, you can add the pulp of an avocado, which gives creaminess. Mix or blend with the previous mixture.
Green mojo is a perfect accompaniment for grilled fish, grilled cheeses, or papas arrugadas.
We encourage you to try them so you can keep enjoying Canarian gastronomy at home.
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