Recipe: Salsa Guasca (Tangy, Thick Avocado Sauce)

½ onion, coarsely chopped (about ? cup)

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 serrano or jalapeño chile, stemmed and seeded

½ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

2 teaspoons yellow prepared mustard

½ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems

4 Hass avocados, pitted and peeled

1 teaspoon salt

1. Place the ingredients in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. (I use a hand blender.) You may need to fiddle with the ingredients, pushing them around with a spatula. The mixture will be thick, not runny, but not as thick as guacamole. Do not omit the yellow mustard, as it contributes much to the flavor here.

2. Use on bread, crackers, as a dip for empanadas, on grilled food, including hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers — or just go ahead and eat it by the spoonful.

From Latin Grilling by Lourdes Castro (Ten Speed Press, 2011)