Originally concocted to liven up fresh fish caught off the coast of Spain, romesco sauce is a deeply delicious dip or sauce that you can slather on just about anything. The traditional Catalonian sauce uses a Spanish dried pepper, but this variation is pantry-friendly and ready in minutes. This richly flavored sauce makes a great accompaniment for red meat, or serve it with crostini for a dip-style appetizer.
Not to be confused with romanesco – the mesmerizing spiral cauliflower – romesco sauce gets a bolt of flavor from sherry vinegar. It’s absolutely worth adding sherry vinegar to your pantry. It’s great in dressings, as a bright finishing touch on vegetables and gives sauces an added layer of complexity. In a pinch, a splash of red wine vinegar will work just fine.
Ingredients for Spicy Romesco Sauce:
- 2 red bell peppers (or from a jar of roasted red peppers, use 2)
- ½ cup almonds or hazelnuts (skinned)
- 8-10 cherry tomatoes (or 1-2 roma tomatoes)
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- Seasoning: salt, pepper, smoked paprika
- 1-2 TB Sherry vinegar
- 1 cup olive oil
- 1 TB lemon juice (one small or half a large lemon)
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- 1-2 slices day-old bread, blitzed into bread crumbs (or 3 TBSP breadcrumbs)
How to Make Spicy Romesco:
- Turn oven on to 350 and place the nuts on a baking pan, toast for ~5 mins, stirring several times. Be careful not to burn them. Remove and cool.
- Roast the red bell peppers, peel and deseed. You can broil the whole peppers for 10 minutes per side until black and charred. If you have a gas stove, you can char them directly over the flame. Once the skin is blackened, put into a bowl and cover for 5 minutes, then the exterior should be easy to remove. Scoop out the seeds and discard. You can also use jarred roasted red peppers to speed along the process.
- With 1 TBSP of olive oil, saute the garlic until fragrant. Add the breadcrumbs and stir frequently until toasted and darkened in color.
- Add all ingredients (except oil) to a food processor and process until mostly smooth with small chunks.
- With the food processor running, drizzle in the rest of the olive oil.
- Serve room temp. Store in the fridge for up to one week, stir and return to room temp for serving.
Whiskey and Ginger 