Saucy!

I love sauces. Sauces I can dunk into, pour onto top, eat with a spoon, smear onto a loaf of bread, rub all over your body....there's not much more to this post other than that!

Here is one of my new favorite sauces, Romesco sauce. It's Spanish! :)

Spanish Romesco Sauce

Ingredients

1 large red pepper, roasted, peeled, seeds and membranes removed

3 medium tomatoes or 4 Roma tomatoes

2 thick slices baguette, lightly toasted (in a pinch I’ve used Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat English Muffins)

2 large garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 cup toasted almonds

1 to 2 teaspoons pure ground chile powder or red pepper flakes, to taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 teaspoon sweet paprika or Spanish smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, as needed

Method

1. 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.

2. Drop garlic cloves into food processor and chop until garlic adheres to sides of the bowl.  

3. Add the toasted almonds, bread and chile powder to the bowl and process to a paste.

4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the pepper, tomatoes, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper. Process until smooth.

5. 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.

6. 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.

I will put this shit on just about anything! It’s friggin’ delicious!