Romesco Sauce

Romesco Sauce is a Catalan mixture made with roasted peppers, garlic, tomato, and almonds and/or hazelnuts, held in suspension and balance by extra virgin oil and vinegar. The romesco pepper is somewhat reminiscent in flavor of a dried ancho. It is also the name of a rich and flavorful nut thickened sauce, a specialty of the city of Tarragona in the province of Catalonia. Traditionally it is served as a condiment for cooked shellfish and grilled wild green onions called calcots. You could think of it as Catalan ketchup because it seems to be good on everything, from broiled fish and lamb chops to cooked vegetables such as beets, potatoes, asparagus, and green beans. Find the video, recipe, and printable recipe PDF below! 

 
 

Yield:  2 cups

Method

  1. Put the chiles in hot water to cover. Let steep for 20 minutes. You may need to weight them down with a small plate. Once rehydrated and soft, drain well.

  2. Place the garlic and nuts and fried bread in a food processor and process on and off until finely ground.

  3. Add drained chile, red pepper, tomato, spices, and vinegar. Process to combine. Gradually beat in the olive oil until mixture emulsifies. Add salt to taste and a little more vinegar as wanted for balance. Refrigerate until needed. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Note: Romesco is not supposed to be a smoking "hot" sauce, but according to personal taste, you may intensify the heat component if that is your desire. If you do not have access to dried anchos you can use ancho chili powder, 1 tablespoon in place of the dried peppers. Romesco can be made well ahead of time.  It keeps for at least 6 weeks in the refrigerator if you don't use it all at one time. This version uses almonds and hazelnuts but you could use just almonds or hazelnuts. The recipe doubles or triples with ease.

Recipe credit: Joyce Goldstein

Ingredients

2 ea. Nora or Ancho chiles, seeded, stemmed

1 ea. Garlic cloves, large, minced

1 cup Almonds or hazelnuts, toasted (or a combination)

½ ea. Bread, slice, fried in olive oil                  

1 ea. Red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 cup Tomato, peeled and seeded, fresh or canned

1 Tbsp. Sweet pimentón or sweet paprika

½ tsp., or more to taste Hot pimentón or cayenne pepper            

3 Tbsp. Red wine vinegar or lemon juice

1 tsp. Salt 

¾ cup Extra virgin olive oil              

This recipe and video were produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service,
thanks to the generous support of the International Olive Council.