Hogao
Colombia's national table sauce / sofrito: tomato, spring onion (cebolla larga), onion, garlic, ground cumin and annatto stewed down slow into a deep red-orange paste-sauce. Spooned over grilled meats, fried plantains, arepas and rice. Appears in almost every savoury Colombian dish, on the table at every meal.
Overview
Long spring onion (cebolla larga) and white onion are softened in oil; garlic, cumin and annatto come in; grated tomato cooks down 15 minutes until thick and sticky. Seasoned and rested. The texture is somewhere between a sauce and a paste, spoonable but coating.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 spring onions (white and green parts, finely chopped - cebolla larga substitute)
- 1 onion (large, very finely chopped)
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground annatto (or smoked paprika)
- 6 ripe tomatoes (grated, skins discarded)
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Method
Stage 1 - Soften aromatics
- Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan over medium heat.
- Add the chopped spring onion and onion.
- Cook 12-15 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and pale gold. Don't rush - long slow cooking is the dish.
Stage 2 - Spices
- Add garlic, cumin, annatto; cook 1 minute.
Stage 3 - Tomato
- Add the grated tomato and tomato puree.
- Cook 12-15 minutes on medium-low, stirring occasionally, until thickened to a sauce-paste that coats a spoon and the oil splits to the surface.
Stage 4 - Season
- Stir in salt and pepper; cook 1 minute more.
- Taste; adjust.
Stage 5 - Cool
- Tip into a clean jar; cool.
- Cover with the oil that has risen to the surface for preservation.
Stage 6 - Use
- Spoon over grilled meats, rice, beans, plantain, arepas, eggs - anything savoury.
- Also use as a base for stews and rice dishes.
Notes
- Cebolla larga: Long Colombian green onion, somewhere between leek and spring onion. UK spring onions are the closest substitute.
- Tomato consistency: The hogao is finished when the oil pools on the surface and the sauce holds a spoon-mark. Wet hogao isn't hogao.
- Make ahead: Like sofrito everywhere, hogao improves overnight. Make a jar and use through the week.
Storage
- Refrigerate 1 week in a sealed jar with a layer of oil on top.
- Freezes 3 months in small portions.
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