Spanish Romesco Sauce: A Magic Dip with Roasted Almonds

Spanish Romesco Sauce: A Magic Dip with Roasted Almonds blends chargrilled red bell peppers with a tomato and garlic cloves baked at 350°F (180°C). Toasted almonds and crustless white bread thicken the finished purée, creating a dense paste ideal for scooping with potato chips or crackers.

The bell peppers

You set two whole red bell peppers directly on a gas burner or an outdoor barbecue grill on high heat. The open flame blackens and blisters the skins. You turn the peppers occasionally until the outside burns and bubbles. You can also roast the peppers on an oven rack at the highest heat setting for 20 to 30 minutes.

You put the hot peppers into a bowl and cover it tightly. They need to sit undisturbed for at least 20 minutes. The trapped steam separates the thin skins from the thick flesh so you can peel them easily. You pull off the skins and discard them along with the stems and seeds.

One and a half cups of drained, tightly packed jarred chargrilled peppers will easily replace the whole ones if you want to skip the open flame. Since the jarred versions carry a sharper tartness compared to newly blistered peppers, keep the sherry vinegar out of the blender at first. Wait until the ingredients run completely smooth, and then mix in the vinegar only to taste.

The bread and almonds

Standard white sandwich bread breaks down cleanly in a blender pitcher. It creates a smoother texture in the finished sauce than artisanal loaves. Any type of bread works if you do not have white sandwich slices. You remove the crusts and tear two slices into bite-sized chunks. You place the torn bread and half a cup of natural almonds in a single layer on a baking tray. You bake them in the oven for five minutes until the bread turns golden brown. You remove the bread and almonds right away. You can use pre-roasted almonds. You must toast pre-roasted almonds for a shorter time so they do not burn.

The tomato and garlic

You set one whole tomato and five peeled garlic cloves on a square piece of foil. You drizzle them with two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and fold the foil into a tight packet. You place this foil packet on the same baking tray with the bread and almonds. You leave the packet on the tray in the oven for a further 25 minutes after you take the bread out. The vegetables roast for 30 minutes total until the tomato and garlic feel tender.

The foil traps the moisture to soften the tough garlic. You wait for the baked vegetables to cool until they are safe to touch. You pull the skin away from the soft tomato flesh.

Blending the sauce

You push the roasted garlic out of its papery skin directly into the blender pitcher. You drop the peeled tomato and the cleaned bell peppers into the blender. You add the toasted bread and almonds. You pour in the remaining extra virgin olive oil and one tablespoon of sherry vinegar. You add one tablespoon of smoked paprika, one teaspoon of salt, and a quarter teaspoon of optional cayenne pepper.

You run the machine until the mixture is completely smooth. You taste the finished sauce and add salt and pepper to suit your preference.

Serving options

This thick sauce works cold or warm. You can serve it in many different ways.

• Use the sauce as a dip for fries, crackers, potato chips, and raw vegetable sticks.
• Spread the sauce onto sandwiches, burgers, or crostini.
• Toss the sauce with cooked pasta as an alternative to pesto.
• Serve the sauce alongside cooked seafood, barbecued meats, or roasted vegetables.
• Stir the sauce into soups or stews.
• Use the sauce as a marinade or crust for roasting chicken.
• Spoon the sauce warm over cooked eggs and chorizo with a side of crusty bread.

Leftovers

You can keep any leftover sauce in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It stays safe to eat for a maximum of seven days.