I Buy Jar After Jar of This “Delicious” Sauce (I Use It for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner!)
As someone who tries more than their fair share of groceries (it’s a big part of the job), I’ve gotten used to being wowed. We are, as my friend, cookbook author Ali Rosen, likes to say in a “golden age of ingredients.” (Her foolproof freezer staple just might surprise you.)
But every now and then, I’m surprised at just how much I like a new — or new-to-me — item. Something that’s just so damn good, it has me wondering how I ever existed in the world without it, and also what are all the things I can do with it. The latest? O’Flair Food Aji Verde Sauce, a vibrant, small-batch sauce created by chef and Kitchn Culinary Assistant Ola Wadley.
What’s So Great About O’Flair Food Aji Verde Sauce?
Inspired by a former client who was looking for an egg-free version of the Peruvian classic, Ola spent seven months experimenting to find “the right amount of salt, acidity, aromatics, etc.” I’m so glad she did. The sauce is verdant. It smells fresh and herbaceous (and may even convert the cilantro skeptics).
There’s also a ton of flavor packed in this modest 4-ounce jar. There’s a nice balance between the cilantro and parsley, with a lingering heat (thanks to the serrano chilies) that’s bolstered by the onions, lime juice, and garlic. The sauce is substantial enough to dip into and easily drizzled, spread, or spooned over whatever you think to pair it with.
The vegan, small-batch sauce is made in Brooklyn, where Ola resides. She sources the majority of ingredients from local farmers markets — the fresh green onions and garlic are key — or at nearby grocers, if items aren’t seasonally available. Jars of O’Flair Food Aji Verde Sauce are currently sold online for $10, plus shipping, which varies by region.
I recently bought a jar as a gift for my parents, and paid $4 for shipping to the suburbs of New York. That is an added expense I am willing to pay (and lucky enough to afford) to support an emerging brand and exceptional product, like this jarred sauce. Companies, like Ola’s, don’t have the same access to supply chains and economies of scale that big-name brands do — just yet.
What’s the Best Way to Use O’Flair Food Aji Verde Sauce?
How much time do you have? O’Flair Food Aji Verde sauce is, in a word, multipurposeful. You can twist off the lid and get straight to dipping (Try it with our favorite plantain chips!) and drizzling, or set it out on your next snack board.
Ola loves using it as a condiment for sandwiches, particularly on a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich (gotta go with the NY-style) or swapping for mayo in a marvelously stacked BLT. She’ll also straight up mix it into her egg scrambles, which adds some “Dr. Seuss vibes” to her mornings. Veggie tacos, like mushroom or bean, corn, and salsa, as well as quesadillas are also a few of her standbys.
I spread a decent amount on a cheeseburger one night and, charmed by the way the aji verde brightened up the dense, yet delicious patty, I proceeded to dunk the burger into the sauce for each remaining bite. Don’t question it, just go for it.
Grab whatevers hanging out in your fridge and create magic. In my case, it was the last of the baby spinach and spring mix, half an avocado, a leftover grilled corn cob, and some cherry tomatoes. I mixed it all with some quinoa and grilled halloumi and ate an incredibly satisfying meal on a random Wednesday night.
“Do not sleep on it as a marinade,” says Ola. She’s tried it with both vegan-friendly and animal-based proteins, including chicken, steak, black and kidney beans, and tofu (to make her riff on a Chipotle tofu bowl). I know what’s for dinner this week.
Buy: O’Flair Food Aji Verde Sauce, $10 for 4 ounces at O’flair Food
Have you tried this jarred sauce? Tell us about it in the comments below.
This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: I Buy Jar After Jar of This “Delicious” Sauce (I Use It for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner!)
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