Sauce Chien – Doggy sauce
Hey!
So I’m lucky enough to be from a fairly mixed background. My dad’s side of the family is Parisian till we can remember. My mum’s side of the family is a lot spicier! My mum’s maternal side of the family comes from the Auvergne region in France (It’s the Cavan of France – think sheep and cheap jokes), her paternal side of the family comes from Guadeloupe in the French West Indies.
Here have a look at Guadeloupe. It’s beautiful. Actually, I’m not sure how to describe the raw beauty of the island. Away from the rich resorts lay a wonderland of raw beauty.
The food in Guadeloupe and Martinique (both known as “Les Antilles”) is divine. Fresh, zingy, spicy with flavours that go on and on. Interesting combinations which I am hoping to share with you as time goes on.
Sauce chien is a condiment found on the table at most meals. It goes well with fish, meat and as a dip for vegetables. It’s called sauce “chien” because that was the main brand of knifes back in the day and all the ingredients had to be chopped finely! Cute if you ask me 🙂
Ingredients:
1 large onion, 3 spring onions, 2 parsley stalks, 1 handful of fresh thyme, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tomato, 1 lime, 1 scotch bonnet chilli, olive oil, salt. pepper and water.
Method:
In a bowl, grate the onion, garlic and the zest of half the lime. Finely chop the spring onions, parsley and add the leaves of the thyme (remove the stalks and sticks!).
De-seed and finely chop the tomato and chilli pepper (make sure to wear gloves or rub your hands with oil).
Add 3 generous table spoons of olive oil and season to taste.
Boil 50 cl of water (just under a pint) and pour into the bowl over the ingredients. Add the juice of half a lime and season further if you must. Cover the sauce and let it infuse (make this about an hour before you eat).
You can reheat this sauce but if you do make sure you don’t boil it. I personally like it best at room temperature.
Secret tip: it’s the best marinade for chicken or ribs if you add a bit of honey to it. Simply nothing like it!
