Robust Romesco Sauce
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🌶️ Smoky Roasted Red Pepper Romesco
This homemade romesco delivers big flavor with simple, pantry-friendly ingredients. Roasted peppers and toasted nuts create a silky texture, while vinegar keeps everything bright and lively. It’s just as good with vegetables as it is with meat or fish—and even better the next day.
The Basics of Sauce
The French mother sauces began in the 19th century with Antonin Careme who classified the 4 original mother sauces, Sauce Tomat (aka Tomato Sauce), Bechamel, Veloute, and Espagnole. In the 20th century, Auguste Escoffier added Hollandaise as the 5th and final mother sauce. Besides adding complementary flavors to a wide variety of dishes, sauces also add moisture, visual interest and texture. A warm sauce can also help maintain proper serving temperature for an item.
Romesco Sauce
Yield: about 2 1/2 cups
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 large roasted red bell peppers, coarsely chopped
2 dried noras or nyora chiles (see Chef Tip)
1 slice white bread, crust removed, bread cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup almonds, prefer marcona
1/4 cup red wine or sherry vinegar
1/4 cup raisins, prefer golden
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Place chiles in a heat safe bowl and soak in boiling water for 30 minutes or until soft. Remove from the water and gently remove the seeds and steam, set aside. In a dry, medium fry pan or skillet, toast the almonds on medium-low until fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside. Return the skillet to the stove top and heat olive oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add garlic cloves to pan and toast until golden, about 2 minutes. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon or spider and transfer to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Repeat with roasted red peppers, chiles, and bread cubes, toasting each individually and transferring to the processor.
Add vinegar to the skillet and de-glaze, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Pour vinegar mixture into processor and blend until smooth. Add the toasted almonds and raisins and process to a thick, smooth puree. Turn processor off, taste, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy with meat, fish, and roasted or raw vegetables. Also great as a spread on sandwiches or dip for bread. Keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Chef Tip: If you can’t find noras chiles, you can substitute with 1 tablespoon of sweet smoked paprika per chile. For the roasted red peppers, use a high quality, jarred variety such as Divina or Whole Foods 365. For a fun twist, substitute hazelnuts or pine nuts for the almonds and sun-dried tomatoes for the raisins. Enjoy!
Equipment List
Assorted mixing bowls
Assorted mixing spoons
medium fry pan or skillet, about 8 to 10-inches
slotted spoon, spider, or tongs
food processor or high powered blender
Measuring spoons and cups
Chef knife
Cutting board
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