In honor of the May 2017 issue, The Global Feast: Writing about Food, a recipe contributed by author Carmen Boullosa. Guest editor Rohan Kamicheril, who tried the recipe out, confirms that the rich, gently spiced sauce is truly the stuff of dreams.

This sauce is a variation on my grandmother’s recipe—she used to do an “almendrado” chicken. The sauce goes perfectly with rice, potatoes, chicken, meat, or fish. Any additions, except for the fish, should be cooked apart (grill the meat, roast the chicken). If you decide to add fish to the sauce, do it only once the sauce is ready. Use 2 fillets of bass, each cut into quarters. Place the fish in the sauce. Lower the flame and allow to cook for 3 minutes and then cover before serving.

Image: Almonds and Dreams with chicken. Prepared and photographed by Rohan Kamicheril.

Almonds and Dreams

INGREDIENTS

½ large white onion, cut into four pieces
4 medium tomatoes, chopped into large chunks
½ cup blanched almonds
¼ cup pecans
Salt to taste
1/8 tsp powdered clove
½ cup white wine
½ cup water
2½ tsp olive oil
½ cup raisins

PREPARATION

Heat the oil in a pan, and fry the onions until they get well caramelized on all sides.

Add the fried onion to a blender, along with the tomatoes, almonds, pecans, clove, white wine, and water. Add salt to taste.

Blend till you have a smooth puree.

Pour the puree back into the pan that you cooked the onion in. Make sure that there is still a little oil left in the pan. If not, add up to 1 teaspoon more oil to the pan.

Cook over medium-low heat. When the sauce begins to change color, and starts thickening, add the raisins.

Continue to cook over low heat for 30–40 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened considerably and has a rich, nutty aroma.

Image: Grilled onions. Prepared and photographed by Rohan Kamicheril.