Recipe for the essential dog sauce

Let me reassure you right away, the dog sauce does not take its name from the animal: there is no dog in the recipe! The name actually comes from a special knife used by the West Indians to cut the herbs and vegetables used in the recipe: the

dog knife.

This knife from the town of Thiers features a dog engraved on the blade. Unknown in mainland France, it has been very popular in the French West Indies for over a century. Every family owns one, and it's even traditional to give one as a wedding present. In fact, at Kaz de Sainte-Anne, you'll find one in the kitchen of your bungalow!

As with all traditional dishes, each family has its own way of preparing dog sauce, varying the ingredients and especially the degree of chilli. For my part, I'd like to share with you my favourite recipe, that of Leslie Belliota food blogger from Guadeloupe. I recommend her book, Je cuisine créole - Mes meilleures recettes, published by Orphie, which includes delicious West Indian recipes such as chicken colombo, cod accras and the famous pineapple cake. Let's get cooking!

• 1 small yellow onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 4 sprigs of civet
• 4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
• 1 vegetarian chilli
• 1 lime (or 3 tablespoons white vinegar)
• 10 cl simmering water
• 5 to 10 cl sunflower oil
• 1 pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 pinch of hot pepper (to taste)

• Finely chop the onion, civet, parsley, chilli and garlic and set aside in a small bowl.
• Add the lime juice, simmering (not boiling) water and oil.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir and leave the mixture to "infuse" for 30 minutes before use.

The sauce will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge in a clean jar.

For grilled meats, you can use it as a marinade before cooking and/or add it generously to the plate just before serving. To accompany fish, you can add a small diced tomato.

For all Leslie Belliot's recipes, visit her blog I cook Creole.