Steven Raichlen's Romesco Sauce

Name: Steven Raichlen's Romesco Sauce
Yield: 2 cups
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 1 dried ancho chili (or 3 dried anorra chilies), stemmed; 2 tablespoons blanched almonds; 2 tablespoons hazelnuts; 3 ripe tomatoes (about 1 ¼ pounds), cut in half; 1 small onion, peeled and quartered; ½ red bell pepper, seeded; 1 jalapeno pepper, halved and seeded; 5 cloves garlic, peeled; 1 slice country-style white bread; ¼ cup finely chopped flatleaf parsley; ½ cup extra virgin olive oil (preferably Spanish); 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or more, to taste; ¼ teaspoon sugar, or more, to taste; Salt and freshly ground black pepper

By Steven Raichlen

Published June 1, 1999

Total Time: 35 minutes
Rating: 3(13)
Comments: Read comments

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Ingredients

Yield:2 cups

1 dried ancho chili (or 3 dried anorra chilies), stemmed
2 tablespoons blanched almonds
2 tablespoons hazelnuts
3 ripe tomatoes (about 1 ¼ pounds), cut in half
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
½ red bell pepper, seeded
1 jalapeno pepper, halved and seeded
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1 slice country-style white bread
¼ cup finely chopped flatleaf parsley
½ cup extra virgin olive oil (preferably Spanish)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or more, to taste
¼ teaspoon sugar, or more, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Soak chilies in hot water until soft and pliable, 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid, and blot dry.
Step 2
Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Arrange nuts on a foil-lined baking sheet, and broil until toasted and fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes, shaking the pan two or three times to insure even browning. Transfer nuts to a plate. When they have cooled a bit, rub hazelnuts between the palms of your hands to remove skin. (Don't worry about removing every last bit.)
Step 3
Arrange tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper and garlic on the baking sheet, and broil until darkly browned, turning to insure browning is even. This will take 4 to 6 minutes a side: remove vegetables as they are ready. Transfer vegetables to a plate and let cool.
Step 4
Place bread on baking sheet, and toast under the broiler, 2 minutes a side, until dark. Break toast into several pieces.
Step 5
Place nuts and toast in food processor, and grind to a fine powder. Add vegetables and parsley, and puree to a coarse paste. Add oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper, and process to mix. The sauce should be thick but pourable: if it is too thick, add a little soaking liquid from the chili. If desired, add salt, sugar or vinegar to taste.