Homemade Catalan Romesco Sauce
Ingredients
- - 1 dried ñora pepper
- - 2 medium ripe tomatoes halved
- - 3 garlic cloves left unpeeled
- - 35 g ¼ cup toasted almonds
- - 25 g 3 tablespoons toasted hazelnuts
- - ½ thick slice of day-old bread toasted
- - 60 ml ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- - 2 teaspoons red or white wine vinegar
- - ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt plus more to taste
- - 1–2 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped (optional)
Method
- Soak the ñora pepper
- Place the dried ñora pepper in a small bowl and cover it with very hot water. Leave it to soak for approximately 30 minutes, weighing it down with a small plate if it keeps floating.
- Drain the pepper, remove the stem and seeds, then scrape the soft flesh away from the skin with the edge of a teaspoon. Discard the skin and set the pepper flesh aside.
- Roast the tomatoes and garlic
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
- Place the halved tomatoes cut-side down on a small baking tray. Add the unpeeled garlic cloves and drizzle everything with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
- Roast for 20–25 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft and their skins are beginning to darken. Leave them to cool slightly, then remove the tomato skins and squeeze the garlic from its peel.
- Blend the sauce
- Place the toasted almonds, hazelnuts and bread in a food processor. Pulse until they form coarse crumbs. Do not grind them completely smooth; romesco should retain some texture.
- Add the roasted tomatoes, garlic, ñora pepper flesh, parsley, vinegar and salt. Pulse again until everything is combined.
- With the food processor running, gradually add the remaining olive oil. Blend only until the sauce is thick, spoonable and still slightly coarse.
- Taste and add a little more salt or vinegar if needed. If the sauce is too thick, loosen it with a teaspoon of water or olive oil.
- Let it rest
- Leave the romesco sauce to rest for at least 20 minutes before serving. This gives the flavours time to come together. Serve at room temperature.
Notes
No ñora pepper? Use 1 tablespoon of jarred ñora pepper paste. Alternatively, use 2 tablespoons of roasted red pepper with ½ teaspoon of sweet paprika. Avoid smoked or hot paprika, as it will change the character of the sauce.
Keep the texture coarse. Romesco is traditionally rustic and should not resemble a completely smooth tomato sauce.
Storage: Keep the sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Let it return to room temperature and stir well before serving.
Serving suggestions: Romesco is delicious with grilled vegetables, roasted cauliflower, fish, chicken, potatoes or crusty bread. It is also traditionally served with grilled calçots.