Clay's Kitchen : Sauce and Stock Recipes

Sauce and Stock Recipes

© Copyright 1995-2023, Clay Irving <clay@panix.com>, Manhattan Beach, CA USA

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Romesco Sauce

Recipe from: Bill Devin
Servings: 2 ½ cups

This garlicky sauce, which originated in the city of Tarragona, has tons of variations and many uses—it's served with salads, grilled vegetables, meat, chicken, or fish, or stirred into fish stews. Try it tossed with pasta or as a sandwich spread. It keeps in the refrigerator for at least a week.

4 medium-size ripe tomatoes, about 1 ¾ pound total, cored
1 head garlic, sliced in half crosswise
2 tablespoons, plus ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ ounces, about ¼ cup, blanched almonds
1 ¼ ounces, about ¼ cup, peeled hazelnuts
1 dried ancho chile, cored, seeded, slit, and opened so it lies fairly flat
1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt, to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoonds red wine — dry or fruity, but not oaky, if needed
1 slice stale white bread, torn, if needed

Heat the oven to 375°F. Put the tomatoes and one half of the garlic head in a baking pan. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil into the cored tomato wells and on top of the garlic half. Roast until the tomatoes and garlic are well caramelized but not burnt, about 90 minutes. From the remaining half head of garlic, coarsely chop 1 tablespoon garlic and put it in a food processor.

While the tomatoes roast, heat about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Toast the almonds and hazelnuts in the pan, shaking the pan or stirring so they don't burn, until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Cool the nuts on a paper towel and then put them in the food processor.

If using a dried chile, sear it in the same small pan over medium-high heat (keep it flat with a spatula or a fork) until a smoke wisp appears, about 10 seconds per side. Soak it in 1 cup hot tap water until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain and put the chile in the food processor.

When the tomatoes and garlic are caramelized, let them cool. Pinch off the tomato skins (discard them) and squeeze out the garlic pulp. Put the tomatoes and garlic pulp in the processor. Add the salt and start the processor, pouring in the remaining ⅓ cup olive oil in a slow, steady stream, as if making mayonnaise. Add the vinegar, pulse to incorporate, and taste; the sauce should have some zing, so add more if needed. Add salt to taste. Process the romesco until it comes together as a sauce but not so much as to lose its coarse, nutty texture. The sauce should be thick and creamy. If it seems too thick, add 1 or 2 tablespoons red wine. If it's too thin, add bread, pulsing a few more times.


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