Steven Raichlens Romesco Sauce Recipes

STEVEN RAICHLEN'S ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Soak chilies in hot water until soft and pliable, 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid, and blot dry.
• Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Arrange nuts on a foil-lined baking sheet, and broil until toasted and fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes, shaking the pan two or three times to insure even browning. Transfer nuts to a plate. When they have cooled a bit, rub hazelnuts between the palms of your hands to remove skin. (Don't worry about removing every last bit.)
• Arrange tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper and garlic on the baking sheet, and broil until darkly browned, turning to insure browning is even. This will take 4 to 6 minutes a side: remove vegetables as they are ready. Transfer vegetables to a plate and let cool.
• Place bread on baking sheet, and toast under the broiler, 2 minutes a side, until dark. Break toast into several pieces.
• Place nuts and toast in food processor, and grind to a fine powder. Add vegetables and parsley, and puree to a coarse paste. Add oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper, and process to mix. The sauce should be thick but pourable: if it is too thick, add a little soaking liquid from the chili. If desired, add salt, sugar or vinegar to taste.

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 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.