Who doesn't love a good sauce? Kids do — and that's often the trick to get them to eat their dinner. An enticing sauce adds a lot to a dish. The problem is that commercially made sauces are packed with preservatives, sugar, and a lot of salt and questionable ingredients. Even when they contain real food, the ingredients are mediocre.
The simple solution is to learn a few fresh sauces that are simple to make. Then we can have our sauce and feel good about it, too!
Romesco is a versatile gourmet sauce, easy to make and a breeze when you have roasted bell peppers on hand, which is one of my kitchen staples. Roasted bell peppers take about five minutes to prep, and they make a fabulous first course as well as a pasta sauce that can be used in salads and sandwiches — and more.
There are many versions of Romesco. The recipe I'm sharing is how I make it, with what I have on hand, and you can have fun modifying it, too.
Click here to learn about roasting bell peppers and make your Romesco!
2 roasted bell peppers — preferably red, but yellow and orange work too
2 cloves of freshly peeled garlic
1/3 cup of nuts — almond and/or hazelnut
About 3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp water
About 1/4 cup of bread slices or cubes — I use a baguette or focaccia when I have it, but you can skip the bread too
1/2 to 1 tbsp sherry vinegar, to taste — or red or white wine vinegar
Sea salt & freshly ground pepper
Kitchen tool: Food processor
Add garlic and nuts to a food processor. A mini food processor is a good investment for convenience and easy cleanup.
Blend the garlic and nuts until fine.
Add the roasted bell peppers and bread. Blend well.
Add the vinegar, paprika, sea salt & freshly ground pepper and blend again.
Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary, and add a tablespoon of water if the sauce is too thick. Blend again if needed.
It's ready to serve. Store the extra in a jar and have fun finding uses for it throughout the week. You can also freeze some for later — Souper Cubes work well for freezing.
I usually make romesco sauce with only red peppers because I roast them often and repurpose them in this sauce — red bell peppers also have a more robust flavor. I've also made romesco sauce with what I had on hand — one red bell pepper, half an orange pepper, and half a yellow pepper. you can also add one tablespoon of tomato paste to richen the flavor or a few sundried tomatoes.
On focaccia for an apéritif or with lunch.
As a dip for chicken, fish or raw vegetables.
On roasted zucchini — or your favorite vegetables.
