Easy Spanish Romesco Sauce Recipe
This tomato-based sauce is delicious, comes together quickly, and keeps well. Great with fish, chicken, for pasta, sandwiches, and more.
Servings 2 cups aprox.
Ingredients
Vegetables:
- 1 cup medium tomato pieces about 1 large beefstake tomato
- 4 garlic cloves unpeeled
- ½ cup roasted red pepper chunks homemade or store-bought piquillo peppers
- 2-3 drizzles extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pinch of freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce:
- roasted vegetables
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup bread cubes no crust
- ½ cup almonds whole or peeled (skinned)
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chili jalapeño type or in adobo, optional
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- pinch of ground cumin
- pinch of ground coriander
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon sherry or red wine vinegar optional
Instructions
- Turn on the oven at 350°F (180ºC).
- Put a piece of aluminum foil over a baking dish.
- Arrange 1 cup medium tomato pieces, 4 garlic cloves and ½ cup roasted red pepper chunks (if not using store-bought from a jar). If you separate them in rows, they're easier to remove as they are done.
- Add 2-3 drizzles extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt, and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper and roast until each ingredient is golden and slightly caramelized, but not burned, about half an hour for the garlic, and a little more for the tomato and peppers, until they are charred and juices flow. Don't throw away the juice that collects at the bottom! Optional: lightly roast ½ cup bread cubes in the same pan, just until they start to dry but don't toast much.
- Peel the almonds if you want to: put them in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave 5-10 and peel them. The skin comes off easily, like chickpeas. If it still won't come off, drain the water, add boiling water and repeat the process. Dry them with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, coarsely chop them (they're easier to process) and reserve.
- Put all the ingredients except the oil in the jar of an immersion blender or a large bowl: roasted vegetables with the juices that accumulated and the garlic pulp squeezed out of the cloves, ½ cup bread cubes, ½ cup almonds, drained peppers if using from a jar, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chili if using, ½ teaspoon salt, a pinch of ground cumin, a pinch of ground coriander and ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Add a little oil from the ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, begin to process, then add more gradually, until you have a thick sauce. You might not use it all, so taste and adjust together with seasonings as needed. Add 1 teaspoon sherry or red wine vinegar if you feel it needs an acidic element. If you want a more fluid sauce, you can thin it a bit with a few teaspoons of water.
- Store in a glass jar with a thin layer of olive oil on top. It lasts a couple of weeks in the refrigerator.
Notes
Vegetables: You can roast the vegetables a week ahead and keep them in a jar with olive oil and a tight lid. Don't drain them, and make sure to add less oil when making the sauce.
You can skin the almonds several days ahead, dry them in a very low oven so they don't become soggy, and keep them in a jar with a tight lid. You can also lightly toast them, either in a large skillet over very low heat, stirring them constantly, or on a rimmed baking sheet in a medium-low oven. Be careful not to burn them! Some recipes call for pine nuts also, instead of almonds or in addition. They work very well with the rest of the ingredients.
Garlic: You can roast it beforehand and keep it in the refrigerator. And, you might want the addition of raw garlic for a sharper flavor. I don't usually do it, but it's an option.
Tomato paste: Some like to add a tiny bit of concentrated tomato paste for an extra boost of flavor.
Red pepper flakes: Another way to add spice is with red pepper flakes.
