Red Ajika Sauce

The summer condiment I'm putting on everything, plus a Carmel & Santa Barbara guide!

Since I worked with

Ina Garten

and left my corporate job, I’m back teaching cooking classes. I started working at recreational cooking schools straight out of culinary school, and ran a very busy cooking class program from for years in NYC. These days here in SF, teaching is a way that I pressure test what resonates with home cooks, which informs my work as a recipe developer, video creator and brand consultant. For example, students kept asking me how I meal plan, which led me to write this three-part series:

How to Grocery Shop, Part 1: The Plan

How to Grocery Shop, Part 2: The List

How to Grocery Shop, Part 3: The Store

I’m also back in the kitchen for community. As a freelancer, I’m often working alone. While I don’t miss the office grind, I miss the camaraderie of co-workers. Who else can be brutally honest about the salt level of your sauce, geek out about Japanese brown sugar and share a bit of hot culinary goss during end-of-night clean up? Food people are the best, and I mean that.

I love working larger events at the cooking school because it means I get to work with (and learn from) other chefs, including my friend Anna Voloshyna. Anna is a Bay Area-based chef and the author of the cookbook Budmo! Recipes from a Ukrainian Kitchen. I first met Anna at a Tomato Girl Dinner party I hosted back in 2023 (*ahead of the trend*) with The Proof Collective and fell in love with her pickled tomatoes.

At a recent private cooking class event, Anna taught a meatball flatbread with red ajika, a sweet and tangy pepper sauce with roots in Georgian cuisine. I loved the bite of the horseradish in contrast with the bright, raw flavor of the tomato, chile and garlic. It was like a brighter, fresher cocktail sauce-meets-hot sauce. Not too spicy. I took home a half pint and used it up within days, spooning it over eggs, chicken, grain bowls, avocado toast and even swirled into crème fraîche as a dip for sweet potato wedges. I immediately texted her to ask if I could share the recipe here!

Anna recommends pairing it with grilled or roasted meats and vegetables. It has an 4-week fridge shelf life and makes use of peak-season tomatoes and peppers. It goes with just about everything, so I recommend making a double batch and storing it in a glass jar front and center in the fridge.

Pick up Anna’s cookbook Budmo! and follow her on Instagram at @annavoloshynacooks

Clean-out-the-fridge breakfast of hard-cooked eggs plus a farro, corn and tomato salad with lots of red ajika and basil!

---

Red Ajika

Yield: About 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

• 2 medium red bell peppers (12 ounces)

• 1 medium hot chile pepper

• 5 ounces tomatoes, quartered (about 1 medium tomato)

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled

• 2 tablespoons freshly grated or preserved horseradish

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:

1. Core, seed, and coarsely chop the bell peppers and chile pepper. Put them into the bowl of a food processor and add the rest of the ingredients. Pulse until smooth. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

2. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks. The flavor will continue to improve over time.

---

Carmel & Santa Barbara Guide

My boyfriend and I went on a quick 4-night, 5-day trip down the coast with stops in Carmel & Santa Barbara. We booked everything last minute and got lucky despite the holiday weekend crowds. Sharing highlights from where we stayed, what we did and most importantly, what we ate: