Pimenta Moída (Portuguese Red Pepper Sauce)

Name: Pimenta Moída (Portuguese Red Pepper Sauce)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 1.5 Cups
Cuisine: Portuguese Australian
Ingredients: 3 large red capsicums; 3 long red chillies; 3 garlic cloves, divided; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 1½ teaspoons sea salt; 1 teaspoon sweet paprika; ½ teaspoon smoked paprika; Small pinch brown sugar or honey, optional

A rustic Portuguese-style red pepper sauce made with roasted capsicum, chilli, garlic and olive oil. Spoon it over chicken, stir it through rice, spread it onto toast or keep a jar in the fridge for flavour through the week.

A jar of rustic red pimenta moída, Portuguese red pepper sauce.

Pimenta moída came into my kitchen the way the best recipes do: slowly, through curiosity and a growing love of Portuguese cooking. It was not something I grew up with, but once I discovered it, I understood immediately why it belongs in every Portuguese home. A jar in the fridge door, ready to spoon over chicken, stir through rice, spread onto bread. Not complicated, not precious. Just deeply useful and full of flavour. Over time I refined it to suit the way my family eats, softening the heat a little, deepening the garlic, keeping the texture rustic rather than smooth. Once you make your first jar, you will find yourself reaching for it constantly, and wondering how you ever cooked without it.

Prep: 10 min · Cook: 30 min · Yield: 1.5 Cups · Cuisine: Portuguese Australian · Category: Condiment

Ingredients

Pimenta Moída

3 large red capsicums
3 long red chillies
3 garlic cloves, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1½ teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Small pinch brown sugar or honey, optional

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C.
Place the capsicums, chillies and 2 garlic cloves onto a lined baking tray. Roast for 25–30 minutes, turning once, until softened and lightly charred.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Peel the garlic cloves.
Add the roasted capsicum, chillies, roasted garlic and remaining raw garlic clove to a food processor.
Add the olive oil, red wine vinegar, sea salt, sweet paprika and smoked paprika.
Pulse until combined but still slightly rustic in texture. Avoid blending completely smooth.
Taste and adjust if needed. Add a very small pinch of sugar or honey only if the sauce tastes too sharp.
Spoon into a clean glass jar and refrigerate until needed.

Ways to Use It

Pimenta moída is one of those condiments that earns its place in the fridge quickly. Spoon it over roast chicken, stir it through rice or potatoes, spread it onto toasted bread, mix it into mayonnaise, add it to sandwiches and wraps, or use it as a marinade for chicken, pork or lamb.

Storage

Store in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to one week. A little olive oil separating on top is completely normal — simply stir before using.

Notes

Remove the chilli seeds for a milder sauce.

The flavour deepens after a few hours in the fridge — it is even better the next day.

A little olive oil separating on top is completely normal.

For a smoother sauce, blend slightly longer, though the rustic texture is traditional and beautiful.

The Grace Table Tip

Try brushing pimenta moída over chicken during the final part of cooking, then spoon a little fresh sauce over the top before serving for the richest flavour and colour.