You are either a sauce person or your not! I have always been committed to the sauce. From the beginning of my culinary adventures there always seemed to be a good reason to put something on everything. In the earlier years that often meant rich, heavy, calorie laden sauces that often hid the flavor of whatever it was covering. Mayonnaise on french fry’s is the exception, that’s just good eating. Today, I am still dedicated to team sauce. However, I have found there are many ways to add flavor, to highlight the natal flavor of foods and elevate a dish without masking it in extra calories.

Today’s dish features a traditional Spanish sauce called Romesco sauce. 45 million Spaniards can’t be wrong, there is a reason this is the national sauce of Spain. It can be used as a marinade, a spread, a pesto, or a sauce with meats and vegetables alike, it’s the ultimate stand by. You can find it bottled, but as with most things it is far better freshly made and luckily super is to make. Theres a reason Spaniards have been devouring this dish for centuries, it’s delicious! The flavor is a bit smoky from the char grilled bell peppers. It’s creamy and rich, yet contains no cream.

Today I’m using it as a grilling sauce on chicken. With 5 cloves of garlic in this recipe along with smoked paprika and roasted peppers the flavors seep into the chicken making it deliciously moist and tender. This dish pairs perfectly with Spanish red wine that complements the bold flavor of the sauce.

When roasting the red pepper, simply place the washed pepper directly on the burner with a high flame. Once the flesh starts to blacken turn until all sides are charred.

Romesco sauce is traditionally used by Spanish fisherman as a sauce for cooked seafood. Romesco sauce is a great way to enhance barbecue meats, vegetables, and seafoods. It can also be used as a dip for chips, pretzels, vegetables, crackers, and flatbreads. It works as a speed on crostini, sandwiches, or burgers, as a sauce on pasta. You can stir in into soups or stews for added flavor, and it can be used as a marinade the will form a crust on the exterior of roasted meats.

Spanish Romesco Sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 2 red bell peppers (note 1)
• 1 tomato quartered
• 5 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 slices of white sandwich bread, crusts removed (note 2)
• 1/2 cup of natural almonds (note 3)
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt

METHOD

• Preheat barbecue grill or gas stove on high, and char grill whole red peppers until black and blistered all over.  (note 4)
• Place peppers in a bowl and cover for at least 20 minutes. The peppers will cool and sweat, allowing the skin to slide off easily. Peal and discard the skin and seeds, place remaining pepper in a blender.
• Preheat oven to 350F° Place tomato and garlic on foil, diesel with 2 tsp of olive oil and wrap tightly. Place foil packet on a baking sheet. Add bread and almonds onto the tray. Bake for 5 minutes until bread is golden. Remove bread and almonds.
• Tare bread into pieces and place the bread and almonds in the blender with the peppers.
• Continue to bake the garlic tomato packet for an additional 25 minutes or until tomato an garlic are tender. Open foil, dump contents into the blender. Add all remaining ingredients to the blender. Run blender on high until sauce is smooth, adjust salt and pepper to taste.
• Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week

Recipe Note

• You can use 1 1/2 cups of store bought bell peppers drained, it will not have the smoky flavor but it will be similar.
• This is one of the few times I use ordinary white sandwich bread because it blends easily into the sauce. To make this dish gluten free just use gluten free bread instead.
• You can use roasted almonds instead just toast them in the oven of a few minutes less.
• The char on the red pepper is how the smoky flavor makes it to the sauce. I just set the pepper directly onto the burner of my gas cooktop, leave it for a few minutes till it turns black. Turn with metal tongs and repeat until it is black all over. This can also be down outside on a barbecue grill.

The romesco sauce is also delicious on the grilled vegetables.