I love sauces, especially a sauce that is versatile and can be used on many items. Romesco sauce is flavorful, packs a little heat and has the smokiness that you might be craving. It’s a perfect sauce for any application.
To give it a little kick and increase the smokiness I used chile de arbo chilies. They work perfectly with the notes provided by the nuts.
Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes Yield: 2 Cups
Ingredients:
- 5 chile de arbo pods – stems removed
- ¼ Cup macadamia nuts
- ¼ Cup walnuts
- 1 ½ cup (12 oz. Jar) sweet roasted red peppers
- 1 large slice of crusted white bread or 5 crusty toast points (bagel chips)
- 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/3 cup water
- ¼ tsp. salt and pepper or to taste
- 1 head of garlic – roasted and use 5 cloves from the head
- 1 large roasted beef steak tomato- cored
Preheat oven to 375°f
Heat a sauté skillet over medium heat and add the chile de arbo pods and nuts. Hold the pan slightly above the flame and swirl the ingredients around until toasted about 5 minutes, then set aside.
Next, take a sheet pan and line it with tinfoil, take another piece of tinfoil and make a bowl shape and set it on the pan. Cut the top off the garlic head and place it in the cupped tinfoil. Drizzle the garlic with olive oil and place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove the sheet pan from the oven, and leave the garlic in the cupped tinfoil and set aside to cool. Once the garlic head is cool to the touch, squeeze the garlic cloves out.
On the same sheet pan place your large cored tomato and drizzle it with a little olive oil. Broil the tomato in the oven between 5- 8 minutes or until the skin is nice and charred or starting to peel back. At this point, remove the pan from oven and set aside to cool.
Once the roasted tomato is cool, add all of your ingredients to a blender until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste - plate and enjoy!