Romesco Sauce or Stuffing
This Spanish dish is similar in use to pesto and can be used as a sauce for just about anything from steak to fish to veggies. Makes a lovely dip or spread as well. This can be made ahead and keeps for a week or so in the fridge…if it lasts that long. Try adding a little smoked paprika or cayenne pepper (or both!)
To make this into a stuffing instead of add another piece of bread and skip the food processor. Prepare the peppers, bread and tomato mixture as directed in the recipe below. In a large bowl add oil, vinegar, lemon juice and parsley and stir to combine. Add the prepared ingredients, toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stuff mixture into peppers, zucchini or tomatoes. Serve stuffing as a side dish along side grilled meat or scrambled eggs. Or just eat it as is.
Next time you fire up the grill get some peppers on there and make this sauce.
Romesco
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 5 sweet peppers (around 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 cup tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 4 tbsp slivered almonds or peeled hazelnuts
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 slice thick country bread, cubed into chunks
- 1 tbsp sherry or red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Grill peppers on a hot grill, turning often, until blistered with touches of charred black.
- Remove pepper into a covered bowl to steam for about 20 minutes. Once cooled, peel the skins and dice. Don't worry if you don't get all the char off, it adds to the flavor!
- While the peppers are resting prepare bread by pan frying in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Get both sides toasty brown. Cut into 1/2 inch cubes when cooled.
- After removing the bread, saute garlic, tomatoes and almonds for 2-3 minutes in same pan.
- Add roasted peppers, bread and tomato mixture to food processor and pulse until bread is course crumbs. With the motor running, slowly add oil through the feed tube until the mixture is the desired consistancy.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add parley, lemon juice and vinegar.