Romesco

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Romesco is a wonderful, thick, tasty sauce from the Catalonia region of Spain. It’s traditionally served along with big, thick spring onions, grilled to perfection, in cookouts called Calçotades . So delicious, you’ll want to slather it on everything!

Why we love this romesco sauce recipe:

• It’s easy to prepare at home.
• It slighlty sweet from the roasted veggies and tangy from the vinegar.
• It has very simple ingredients: red bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, bread, hazelnuts or almonds, and seasoning.
• It can easily be made gluten-free. Just use gluten-free bread!
• Use matzah instead of bread to make it Passover friendly.
• Don’t feel like roasting peppers and tomatoes? Just use them out of a jar or can. You can also use sun dried tomatoes if you have them.
• You can adjust seasoning to your liking.  Use sweet or smoked paprika or a combination of both.
• Make sure you use a flavorful extra virgin olive oil and don’t skip the vinegar.
• Allergic to nuts?  Use sunflower seeds instead.

 How to Make a Traditional Romesco Sauce

1. Roast red bell peppers, tomatoes and garlic.
2. Carefully place them in a glass bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes. This process will allow the skins of the peppers and tomatoes to easily come off.
3. Remove the skin and seeds of the peppers and discard whatever liquid formed inside the peppers.  Remove the skins of the tomatoes, keep their seeds and juice. Cut the bottom part of the garlic bulb and squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins. Place everything in the food processor.
4. Add roasted hazelnuts, or toasted almonds, extra virgin olive oil, sweet or smoked paprika, red wine vinegar and salt.
5. Process until you get a thick chunky sauce.  If you prefer a creamier sauce, just process until creamy. We prefer the sauce a little chunky which is how is served in Spain.

Step by Step Images of How to Make Romesco Sauce

1. Roast red bell peppers, tomatoes and garlic.

Place roasted veggies in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap

Once the vegetables are cool peel them and place them in a food processor and squeeze the roasted garlic on the veggies

Add Olive oil, vinegar, paprika, hazelnuts and bread

Pulse until you get a thick chunky sauce

How to use romesco

• On grilled potatoes
• On roasted vegetables
• On grilled cheese
• On roasted potatoes
• On toasted bread or crackers
• On grilled spring onions
• In Spain is traditionally  used on grilled veggies, grilled spring onions or seafood

Check out these other recipes from Spain

• Patatas bravas
• Tortilla de patatas
• Authentic Spanish Gazpacho
• Membrillo
• Hot Chocolate Barcelona Style
• Montadito de Berenjena
• Crema Catalana
• Espinacas a la Catalana
• Pan con Tomate

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Romesco

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• Author: Vicky & Ruth
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 45
• Total Time: 75
• Yield: 2 cups 1x
• Category: Sauce / Dip
• Method: Roasted
• Cuisine: Spain

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Description

Romesco is a wonderful, thick, tasty sauce from the Catalonia region of Spain. It’s traditionally served along with big, thick spring onions, grilled to perfection, in cookouts called Calçotades . So delicious, you’ll want to slather it on everything!

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Ingredients

• 2 medium red bell peppers
• 2 plum or vine ripe tomatoes
• 1 head of garlic
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 slice day-old Italian or French bread ( you can substitute one slice of sandwich bread, Gluten-free bread or Matzah)
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sweet paprika, smoked paprika or a combination of both to taste  (See Note 1)
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup roasted hazelnuts or almonds

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Place the peppers, tomatoes and garlic on a large baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the peppers are tender
3. Carefully place the peppers, tomatoes, and garlic in a glass bowl while still hot. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit, covered for 30 minutes or longer.  This process will make it easier to peel the peppers and tomatoes once cooled
4. When the peppers are cool, remove and discard the skin and seeds. Remove and discard the tomato skins as well. Transfer them to the bowl of a food processor
5. With a sharp, serrated knife, cut the bottom of the head of garlic. Squeeze the cloves into the food processor. Add extra virgin olive oil, sweet paprika, salt, and red wine vinegar
6. Add the bread and chopped hazelnuts and pulse a few times until smooth

Notes

1. Romesco sauce is not a hot (spicy) sauce. You can add heat by adding hot paprika to taste

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
• Calories: 54
• Sugar: 1.6
• Sodium: 83.7
• Fat: 4.1
• Saturated Fat: .4
• Unsaturated Fat: 3.4
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 3.9
• Fiber: 1.1
• Protein: 1.2
• Cholesterol: 0