Romesco is the sauce for grilling season, and it sits alongside the piri-piri and escabeche sauces already on the site, even though it comes from the opposite end of the peninsula. Roasted red peppers, toasted almonds, garlic and stale bread get blitzed with olive oil and sherry vinegar into something thick, smoky and a little nutty.
It comes from Catalonia’s Tarragona coast, originally made by fishermen to go with grilled fish, and it has since spread to just about everything: grilled vegetables, roast chicken, patatas bravas already posted here, even spooned onto a simple piece of toast.
It keeps for a week in the fridge and turns a plain grilled chicken breast or a tray of vegetables into something worth photographing.
Romesco Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large red bell peppers
- 1 large tomato
- 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 1/2 cup blanched almonds
- 1 slice stale bread, crust removed, torn into pieces
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for roasting
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the bell peppers, tomato, and garlic cloves on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pepper skins are blistered and the tomato is soft. Remove the garlic a few minutes early if it browns too quickly.
- While the vegetables roast, toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until fragrant, and lightly fry the bread in a splash of olive oil until golden.
- Let the roasted vegetables cool slightly, then peel the peppers, tomato, and garlic, discarding skins and seeds.
- Combine the roasted peppers, tomato, garlic, toasted almonds, fried bread, sherry vinegar, paprika, and cayenne in a food processor.
- Pulse to a coarse paste, then drizzle in the olive oil while pulsing, until the sauce is thick but still has some texture.
- Season with salt to taste. Let sit at least 15 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld.
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