Today at Block Island Seafood Co. we are heating things up with a guest post by Matthew Ward, Executive Sous Chef at the The Adolphus in Dallas. This recipe for Spanish Romesco will certainly make its way into the BISCo. test kitchen this summer. Just hope I can do it justice.
Take it away, Matt!
Grilling Sauces
There’s nothing like a great sauce to serve with grilled meats and vegetables this summer. I’ve decided to feature a traditional Spanish sauce when entertaining this summer. The Spanish favorite I am talking about is romesco. Romesco originated in Tarragons, Spain and is typically made from almonds, pine nuts, and/or hazelnuts, roasted garlic, olive oil and nyoras - a smaller, sweet, dried variety of red bell pepper. Other common ingredients include roasted tomatoes, sherry wine vinegar and onion. In this version I like to use roasted tomatoes and shallots that have been roasted in the oven. I also use regular red bell peppers that are readily available all year round. Roasting the tomatoes and shallots; add a whole other dimension to the sauce. In Spain they like to serve romesco with seafood and I totally agree. Serve it with some grilled scallops, halibut or sea bass. I’ve also found it to be wonderful on a medley of grilled vegetables. The possibilities are endless with romesco. I hope you add it to your summer grilling reportaire this season.
Spanish Romesco
2 ea. Red Peppers
2 ea. Shallots, peeled
½ cup Almonds, sliced
3 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
3 tbsp. Smoked Paprika
1 tsp. Cayenne
2 ea. Crusty Bread, stale or toasted, no crust
2 ea. Tomatoes, cut in half, seeds removed
1 tbsp Sherry Wine Vinegar
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Olive Oil for Sautéing
Vegetable Stock, if needed, to adjust consistency
1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss tomatoes and shallots olive oil and place on a sheet pan. Place in the oven and cook for about twenty minutes. A light browning is great. This will bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes and shallots. Remove and set aside till ready to make the sauce.
2) Roast and peel peppers, by placing them over an open flame on the stove or on the grill. Char them well on all sides. When nice and black put them in a heatproof bowl and cover with plastic wrap. This will create steam. In about 10 minutes you will be able to rinse off the char and have a nice roasted pepper. Remove the seeds and rough chop.
3) In a pan, sauté the shallots, peppers in a small amount of olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté for one minute. Then add the tomato and the roasted pepper. Sauté for five minutes more or until all the ingredients are softened.
4) Carefully put everything but the olive oil in a blender and blend. Be very careful because the contents are hot. With the blender running, add the olive oil in a thin stream. If necessary add a bit of vegetable stock to the sauce. It really depends on the moisture content of the vegetables.
5) At this point you can serve the sauce with your wonderfully grilled creations or refrigerate it until ready to use. To reheat, place in a sauce pan and heat gently till sauce is hot. This recipe should make you about 2 cups of finished sauce.
Thanks, Matt, for sharing this with us!
Cheers,
Craig
www.blockislandseafood.com
