Name of Recipe: Romesco Sauce
Number of People: 4
Ingredients:
4 medium ripe tomatoes
1 red pepper (preferably romano but bell would do)
3 garlic cloves skinned (you can use less or more depending on how you feel about garlic)
15 shelled hazlenuts
10 blanched almonds
2 Tbs red wine vinegar
1 slice day old white bread (ciabatta is good but any is ok)
8 tbsps EVO
Salt
Preparation:
Heat oven to 200 C
Deseed the pepper and cut it into largish chunks. Cut the tomatoes into quarters. Place tomatoes and pepper onto a baking tray and drizzle with about 1 tbsp olive oil. Put the baking tray into the top of the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Add the garlic, hazlenuts and almonds to the baking tray and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until everything looks well roasted (but not burnt!)
Meanwhile fry the bread in 1 tbsp olive oil for a few minutes on either side until golden.
Add the pepper, nuts, tomatoes and garlic to the TMX bowl, together with the bread and salt. Puree for 20 seconds on speed 8, scraping down the side of the bowl half way through and at the end.
Process at speed 5 for 1 minute, adding the rest of the oil by pouring it onto the lid.
Add the vinegar and process at speed 4 for a few seconds to incorporate it. Add salt to taste
The sauce should be thick and creamy and should still have a coarse texture. If it seems too thick, you can thin it by adding a tablespoon or 2 of red wine. If too thin, add some more bread.
Tips/Hints:
This is delicious served with fish or chicken or steak. It keeps for up to a week in the fridge.
