Romesco Sauce three ways

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Several years ago my mom and I took a cooking class together.  One of the recipes they taught us was Romesco Sauce, which is a savory Spanish red sauce.  I’d never heard of it before, but it was delicious!  In the class, we made the sauce and served it on a pork tenderloin.  I will admit, I was skeptical about this sauce at first because I normally don’t like red peppers.  Somehow, they just work in this recipe.

This sauce is easy and so delicious that I am always looking for new ways to use it.  I’m going to show you how to make the sauce and then share three uses I’ve found

Let’s get started!

You can either use jarred roasted red peppers for the sauce, or fresh ones you’ve roasted at home. The sauce is much better if you have the time to roast your own peppers, but the jarred do fine in a pinch.  To roast the red peppers, first clean and dry them.

You should also trim the stems (one less thing to catch fire- trust me on this).  Then you’re basically going to burn or “char”the outer skin of the peppers.  If you have a gas stovetop, just put the heat on medium and place the peppers directly on the flame.  Just keep rotating them until the skin is black.  I know it looks wrong, but it’s what you want.

If you don’t have a gas stovetop, have no fear!  You can also roast the peppers in the oven. Just put the peppers on a cookie sheet in a 500° oven and roast for about 45 minutes or until the skins are charred.  Rotate once halfway through.

Once your peppers are roasted (using either method above), put in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let sit for 30 minutes.  We want steam to gather in the bowl, which will make them easier to skin.  Take the peppers out of the bowl and the charred skins off the peppers.  I usually do this with paper towels, to reduce the mess.

Now pull off what’s left of the stem, cut the pepper in half and remove the seeds.  It’s going to be pureed, so you don’t have to worry about it looking pretty.

Cut the peppers (roasted using one of the methods above, or the jarred peppers strained) into quarters and put in a food processor (or blender). Now just add all of the remaining ingredients except the olive oil. Puree until the hazelnuts are almost completely ground up (about the size of a sesame seed).

Scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl and put the lid back on.  Turn on the processor and add the olive oil in a slow stream.  We want to do this slowly to ensure the oil is complete mixed in.

Voila, now you have your sauce!  This sauce is tasty cold, at room temp, or heated up.  It’ll last in the fridge at least a week (assuming you don’t eat it straight out of the jar!).

 

Now let’s get on to what you can do with the sauce!  All of the below recipes will serve 2 people.

 

Grilled chicken breast

Season 2 chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Grill for about 25 minutes, or until 160 in the center.

Heat 1 cup of the Romesco sauce in the microwave for 45 seconds or in a saucepan on the stovetop until bubbling.

Take the chicken off the grill and top each breast with half of the Romesco.  Serve with grilled veggies and a hunk of bread to dip in any leftover sauce.

 

 

Grilled Cheese

Heat a cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Take 2 slices of sourdough bread and spread 1 tablespoon of sauce on each.  Put 1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese on top of each slice of bread.  Top each with another slice of bread to create 2 sandwiches. Spread softened butter on the the outsides of each sandwich.

Place both sandwiches in the preheated skillet and cook until golden on one side (about 5 minutes).  Flip and cook for another minute.  Then cover with a lid and turn off the heat.  Let cook another minute,  or until the bottom is golden and the cheese is melted.

 

Mushroom and Onion Omelet

Whisk together 6 large eggs, 2 tablespoons milk, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat the skillet in cooking spray and add 1 cup sliced mushroom and 1/4 onion diced.  Sauté until the mushrooms are tender.

Put the onion and mushroom mixture in a bowl and set aside. Wipe out the skillet and add more cooking spray.  Put back on the heat and add the eggs. Once the edges have started to cook and there is only a thin layer of raw egg left, add the mushroom and onion mixture and 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese.

Fold the top over and cover with a lid.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Heat 1/2 cup sauce in the microwave for 30 seconds. Cut the omelet in half.  Put each half on a plate and cover with the heated sauce. Serve with toast if you’d like.

 

There are also several other things I am interested in trying with this sauce:

• as a pasta sauce
• base for a pizza
• in creamy polenta

 

The possibilities are endless!  Let me know how you use it!