Thursday, December 24, 2009

Romesco Sauce for the Holidays!

We had such a fun Spanish winetasting at the Greene's the other night - wish you were there:) The Romesco sauce was a big hit, and I promised to post the recipe to my blog. If you are not familiar with Romesco sauce, it is Spain's answer to Italy's red sauce. Delicious as a dip with seafood, pork, tenderloin or chicken, it can also play a starring role topping pasta. Whip up a batch for the holidays and watch it disappear!

Romesco Sauce
1 1/2 Cup Almonds
2 1” Slices Rustic Country Bread
1/2 Cup Sherry Vinegar
2 Roasted Red Peppers
2 TB Tomato Paste
1 TB Fresh Lemon Juice
1 TB Sweet Smoked Paprika
1/2 Tsp each Salt and Black Pepper, plus more to taste
Up to 3/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Step One
On a baking sheet, toast the almonds in a 350F oven for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Step Two
Cube the bread, and place in a bowl with the vinegar for 30 minutes.

Step Three
In a food processor, grind the almonds, add the vinegar and bread, the peppers, tomato paste, lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil as desired. (You can also just drizzle a little oil over the finished Romesco.) Taste for salt and pepper and serve.