Guasacaca

I was introduced to guasacaca (or wasakaka) one summer at my brother in law Kevin’s family home. His parents were having a large family gathering and his cousins had brought over a lot of the food. For background, some of Kevin’s mom’s side are Chinese Venezuelans. It’s a beautiful blend of cultures and language that I am always in awe of when I’m with them. I was eating some chicken with a green sauce that was completely unfamiliar to me. I had assumed it was something like a chimichurri, but it was smoother. At first bite, it is bright and herbaceous. The avocado makes for a smooth, luxurious mouthfeel and the green bell pepper adds a lightness to it. There is a slight acidity from lemon juice or vinegar. Then you get a hit of your onion and garlic with a slight heat from the jalapeno. It’s really a perfect pairing for rich grilled meats or in my case, some chicken.

This is a Venezuelan version. There is a Dominican version which is quite different.

I make this periodically to have stored in the fridge, which lasts a week if we’re lucky. I had some this morning on my hard boiled eggs. The usage is really endless.

Ingredients

• 3 ripe avocados
• 2 green bell peppers, seeded and deveined
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and deveined (optional – can omit if you do not want any spice)
• Large handful of fresh cilantro
• Large handful of fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Kosher salt, to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 2/3 – 1 cup of olive oil (to be added slowly until desired consistency is achieved)

Preparation

Add all ingredients except olive oil to a food processor. Blend until well combined. Stream in olive oil until you reach a smooth, even consistency. Season with more salt and pepper, as needed.