Authentic Romesco Sauce Recipes

ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 175 C (350 F)
• Cut a cross in the bottom of each tomato and place them cut side up along with the whole head of garlic on a baking pan (if you are using a slice of red bell pepper in place of the ñora, roast it here as well). Drizzle everything with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Roast the garlic for about 45 minutes, or until tender, then remove so that it does not burn. Continue roasting the tomatoes until the skin is beginning to blacken in spots - about 60 minutes.
• Meanwhile rehydrate the ñora peppers by placing them in a bowl of hot water. (You can also place them in a bowl of water the night before). Set aside to soften while the tomatoes roast.
• Toast the bread and the nuts. You can do this either by placing them in an oven-safe pan in the oven with the tomatoes for five minutes or so, or in a pan over medium heat on the stove.
• When the tomatoes are roasted, remove the pan and let them cool. Prepare the ñora by cutting them open and discarding the stem and seeds. Use a spoon to scrape the pulp away from the skin and discard the skin. I ended up with about 1 tablespoon of pulp from 2 ñora peppers.
• Put the vinegar in a bowl and wet the bread in the vinegar.
• Once the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skin. Also pop all the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins (peel the red bell pepper if you're using it). Transfer the peeled tomatoes and garlic to a blender or food processor and add the salt.
• Begin blending and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Once it's emulsified add the toasted bread and vinegar, ñora pulp and the raw clove of garlic if you are using it (it's optional).
• Finally add the nuts and blend a bit more. Romesco sauce should be a bit grainy so do not over blend, a bit of bite is good. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Romesco sauce should be a bit tangy. If would like a thicker sauce, add more bread. For a thinner sauce, add more olive oil.

AUTHENTIC & EASY ROMESCO SAUCE RECIPE - (SALSA ROMESCO)

Steps:

• Hydrate the ñoras the day prior by placing in water (or boil 15 minutes to do this quickly-- not quite the same but it works!), remove the stem and all seeds
• Dry the bread out a few hours in advance (if possible), then toast in the toaster until golden brown. Let cool, remove crusts and cut into smaller cubes.
• Roast the head of garlic and plum tomatoes (pierced at the bottom with a couple of slits) for about 35 minutes at 400°F (200°C) -- drizzle with olive oil before putting in the oven
• Then roast the nuts on a baking sheet for about 5 minutes, moving them around every couple of minutes (keep a close eye on them-- stop when they're golden and fragrant and do not let them burn!)
• Let everything cool down and then mix everything (the tomatoes, peeled roasted garlic cloves, rehydrated peppers, toasted white bread cubes, vinegar, roasted nuts, and olive oil) together in a blender until uniform (not too smooth)
• Add more vinegar, salt, and cayenne (if you wish) to taste.
• Enjoy the sauce with roasted vegetables, or on a sandwich.

ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler and cover a baking sheet with foil. Place the tomatoes on the baking sheet, and place under the broiler at the highest setting. Broil for two to four minutes, until charred on one side. Turn over and broil on the other side for two to four minutes until charred. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. Peel and core.
• Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop in the garlic cloves. When the garlic is chopped and adheres to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the sides. Add the toasted almonds (or almonds and hazelnuts), bread and chile powder or flakes to the bowl and process to a paste.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the pepper, tomatoes, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper. Process until smooth, and with the machine running, add the vinegar and olive oil in a slow stream, beginning with the smaller amount of olive oil and thinning out as desired. Process until well amalgamated, then scrape into a bowl.
• Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt or chile as desired. If possible, allow the sauce to stand for an hour at room temperature before using. Serve with fish and/or grilled vegetables, or on crostini.

ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup each skinned hazelnuts and roasted almonds, 1 cup crusty bread cubes, 2 sliced garlic cloves and 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes; cook until golden, 3 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and add 1 canned peeled whole tomato, 1/4 cup jarred piquillo peppers and 1/2 to 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar; pulse until mostly smooth, thinning with up to 1/3 cup water if needed. Season with salt and red pepper flakes.

ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Place the tomatoes, bell pepper, and garlic cloves onto the prepared baking sheet. Brush the vegetables with some of the olive oil, then sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake in the preheated oven until the garlic has turned golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 10 minutes. While the vegetables are cooling, bake the bread slice on one of the oven racks until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool.
• Scrape the vegetables and any juices from the pan into a food processor or blender. Break the bread into pieces, and add to the food processor along with the toasted almonds, vinegar, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Puree until finely ground, then drizzle in the remaining olive oil with the machine running. Season to taste with additional salt if necessary.

ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan for 3-4 mins until starting to turn golden and smelling toasted. Shake the pan often to turn them. Tip out and leave to cool.
• Drain the red peppers and tip into a food processor with the almonds, garlic, vinegar and smoked paprika, then blitz to a chunky paste.
• With the motor still on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to make a dip. A bit of texture works well for this rather than blending to a super smooth consistency. Season well, adding a little more vinegar, if you like.