Romesco sauce
I love sauces. Sauces certainly won’t turn a dish that is ‘meh’ to ‘wow’ but it can certainly turn a ‘wow’ into an ‘omg WOW!’. And this Romesco sauce recipe certainly does just that. I blitz up this sauce whenever we do Paella night or when I throw some meat on the bbq and I want a selection of sauces to go with the grilled meats. I designed this simplified Romesco sauce recipe to be easy and still deliver a punch; roasted bell peppers (jarred), almond, garlic, smoked paprika, red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Blitz everything up in a food processor or blender and drizzle away on anything you like. And I mean anything!
What is Romesco sauce?
Romesco is a Spanish sauce associated with Catalonia. Traditional preparations can include roasted tomatoes, dried peppers, nuts, bread, garlic, olive oil and vinegar.
This version uses jarred roasted red peppers and almonds for an easy sauce you can make with accessible ingredients. I’m not claiming it’s a traditional Tarragona recipe. I’m giving you something delicious to put on the table without tracking down a particular dried pepper while everyone waits for dinner.
The almonds make it substantial enough to scoop up with bread. The peppers bring sweetness, the vinegar keeps it lively, and the paprika adds a smoky note that’s lovely alongside food off the grill.
How to have it with a meal?
This sauce has a very strong smokey element to the flavour so it pairs beautifully with anything grilled or roasted. I put a bowl on the table alongside roasted vegetables, nice bread and grilled meats. But my favourite meal to have Romesco sauce with is Paella night.
For Paella night, I serve it alongside other tappas such as:
Equipment
- Food processor
- Blender
Ingredients
- 300 g jarred roasted red peppers Dry weight, drained
- 60 g unsalted roasted almonds
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a food processor (leaving out the salt). Pulse and blend into preferred consistency. I personally prefer some texture to my Romesco sauce for a bit of a chew.
- Taste before adding salt. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of water and pulse again.
- Transfer for a bowl and serve
If you’re a saucy fan like myself, try my other sauce recipes. To keep things interesting, I like to switch out different sauces for difference meals.
