Romesco Sauce / Dressing

This is an awesome dressing for salads or as a sauce for a pasta dish!

 

Makes 8 Servings 

Equipment needed: oven, baking tray, frying pan, food processor

Total Time: 35minutes 

 

Ingredients: 

  • 3 medium tomato (ideally raf or coeur de boeuf)
  • ½ bell pepper, red (alternatively 2 tbsp bell pepper paste per half pepper)
  • 12 almonds
  • 12 hazelnuts
  • 1 small head of garlic
  • 3 oz bread (ciabatta or similar works well)
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp paprika (ideally “pimento de la Vera” but not imperative)
  • 6 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp vinegar

 

Method: 

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 400°F.
  • Make a small cut at the bottom of the tomatoes. Then place the tomatoes and bell pepper on a baking tray. Cover very lightly with olive oil and a dash of salt.
  • Cut the garlic head horizontally in two and add to the tray.
  • Now put it into the oven. Roast for 20 -25 minutes. If you’re really short on time you can pop it all into a suitable dish and give it about 5 minutes on low heat (650W is enough) in the microwave.
  • In the meantime roast the almonds and hazelnuts in a pan on medium heat. No oil necessary!
  • Once the roasted veggies and garlic are ready and cooled off a bit, add it all into a food processor including the nuts, bread, spices, olive oil and vinegar. The garlic cloves should pop out of their skin easily if you squeeze a little.
  • Process all the ingredients until you have a paste. Alternatively, you can also use a hand blender.
  • You can keep the sauce in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.