Cool Mail About Food

Two of my culinary heroes, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Alguid, wrote me the following email after I sent them a query on their website. I honestly wasn't expecting a response, so I was rather pleased to receive it.

"Dear Anthony:

Thanks for writing, and sorry it's taken us so long to reply.

No, we don't have a recipe for the red sauce you describe. It sounds like
you've been doing some motivated research. Have you asked at the restaurants at all?Have you trying roasting or grilling the peppers before mashing them? It would add smokiness. There is an Afghan cookbook around, published by Hyperion and there may be something in there.

On the other hand, the sauce may have developed in the US as an immigrant solution or equivalent to a sauce from home. In that case, you'll have to go on playing around. Sometimes people add surprising ingredients to get the taste they want, such as Worcestershire Sauce or even a little ketchup or soy sauce...
Wish we could be of more help.

The other place to ask is to send it in as a question to Gourmet magazine, if you have the name of the place you ate it. They do pursue readers' questions and find out recipes people are curious about. I know it's a funny idea, but it might work...

Do please let us know if you get the sauce figured out. And happy spring to you.

naomi & jeffrey"