A few months ago I opened Joe Yonan’s latest book, Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking, and was immediately struck by a recipe for romesco sauce. It called for placing all of the essential components — peppers, tomatoes, unpeeled garlic, stale bread, and almonds — on a sheet pan, roasting them all together; then puréeing them with smoked paprika, vinegar, and olive oil. If you’ve made romesco sauce before, you know it often calls for roasting and peeling peppers first, a step that usually deters me from getting started. Joe’s method sounded so promising, so I gave it a go and was astounded by the ease in which the sauce came together as well as the flavor: smoky, bright, slightly sweet and with the loveliest texture thanks to the generous amount of almonds. I loved not having to peel the peppers, and I loved how easily the roasted unpeeled cloves of garlic released from their skins after 15 minutes in the oven. Smitten with the sauce, I wrote about it in my pizza newsletter, but having made the sauce half a dozen times since, I’ve changed my process in two ways. First, rather than roast the almonds with the other ingredients, where they once or twice got a little too toasty, I toast them slowly in a skillet on the stovetop while the other ingredients roast. I find this to be just as simple and doing so allows me to get a little more char on the peppers and tomatoes in the oven. Second: I now omit the bread cubes. Out of stale bread on one occasion, I carried on without it, and I could not taste a difference in the finished sauce. I think this is because the toasted almonds provide so much by way of body, texture, and flavor. If you wish to add stale bread to this sauce, which is traditional, see the notes in the recipe card below. Friends, I can’t stop making this sauce! It is heavenly served as a dip with raw or blanched vegetables of all kinds — carrots, snap peas, bell peppers, radishes — but my favorite way to use it is as such: spread it over a platter and tumble charred vegetables over the top. Broiled broccolini is my favorite: You’ll find instructions for both the broccolini and romesco below. I can’t wait for you to make it! Joe Yonan’s latest book: Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking
Homemade Romesco Sauce, Step by Step
Gather your ingredients: almonds, peppers, garlic, tomatoes, smoked paprika, olive oil, vinegar, and stale bread (optional… I now omit). Chop the peppers and place them on a sheet pan with tomatoes, unpeeled but lightly smashed garlic, and the bread cubes (if using). Toss with olive oil and salt… … then roast for 15 minutes at 500ºF. Peel the cloves of garlic — the skins will slip right off. Then place everything into a blender with toasted almonds, smoked paprika, olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Purée until blended with a lightly coarse texture. Transfer to a jar and store in the fridge for up to two weeks. A favorite way to eat it: Place 1 pound of chopped broccolini on a sheet pan. Dress with 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt (Diamond Crystal). Toss to combine then spread into an even layer. Broil for 5 to 6 minutes, checking every two minutes, until charred to your liking. Tumble the broccolini onto a platter spread with romesco. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and season with a pinch of flaky sea salt if you wish. This has been my choice side dish for my pizza nights of late.
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Notes:
The original recipe calls for roasting everything — the peppers, tomatoes, bread cubes, garlic, and almonds — at 500ºF for 15 minutes. This method works — I’ve made it like this multiple times successfully — but on one or two occasions, I have found it to be a little less forgiving: sometimes my almonds got too toasted as did my bread cubes. I’ve found that toasting the almonds in a skillet stovetop over low heat while the other ingredients roast is just as simple and allows me to get a little more char on the peppers and tomatoes in the oven. I often roast them for 20 minutes total. Also, I now omit the bread cubes. This is for a few reasons, first, because, as noted, I found the bread often chars a bit too much during the 15 minutes, but mostly because I don’t feel the bread crumbs add anything. I cannot taste a difference between a romesco made with toasted bread and one made without. I think this is because the almonds provide so much by way of body, texture, and flavor. If you wish to add bread cubes to this, which is traditional for romesco, do so. To the sheet pan of vegetables add:
1 cup lightly packed (56 g) bread cubes
A Few More Notes: Vinegar: Sherry vinegar is traditional here, but it can be overpowering. If you want to use it, I’d suggest starting with 1 tablespoon and then using a milder vinegar for the other few tablespoons. Salt: I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you use Morton or fine sea salt, you’ll need half as much by volume. Heat: If you like a little heat, add ½ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste. To make the charred broccolini: Place 1 pound of chopped broccolini on a sheet pan. Dress with 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt (Diamond Crystal). Toss to combine then spread into an even layer. Broil for 5 to 6 minutes, checking every two minutes, until charred to your liking. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and season with a pinch of flaky sea salt if you wish.
