Charred Spring Onions Romesco Food

CHARRED SPRING ONIONS

Steps:

• If your barbecue hasn't already been heated, light and heat until the ashes turn grey, or heat a griddle pan. Wash the spring onions and pat dry. Trim off the ends, then place the onions directly on the barbecue or in a hot griddle pan.
• When the spring onions have softened and blackened, take off the heat and move to a hot spot on the barbecue top to keep warm before serving.

CHARRED SPRING ONIONS & TERIYAKI TOFU

Steps:

• Cook the rice according to pack instructions. Pour the soy sauce, mirin, ginger and honey into a small saucepan and add 50ml water. Bring to a simmer and cook for around 5 mins or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and set aside until needed.
• If your tofu doesn't feel very firm, you'll need to press it. To do this, wrap the block of tofu in a few layers of kitchen paper, then weigh it down with a heavy pan or tray for 10-15 mins - the longer you press it, the firmer it will be. Cut the tofu into thick slices.
• Heat a griddle pan over high heat and lightly brush the tofu and spring onions with the oil. Griddle the tofu and spring onion until deep char lines appear on both sides (around 4 mins each side) - you may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your griddle pan.
• Divide the cooked rice between two plates, top with the tofu and spring onion, then drizzle with the teriyaki sauce. Garnish with the sesame seeds and sliced red chilli, if using.

ROMESCO WITH GRILLED BREAD, SPRING ONIONS AND SHRIMP

Steps:

• Heat a grill over medium heat. Toss the shrimp and the onions with a little olive oil and a sprinkling of salt; brush the bread with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
• Grill the onions until the bulbs are tender and with good grill marks and the green parts are somewhat charred, several minutes. Rotate the onions occasionally with tongs for even grilling. Set aside.
• Clean the surface of the grill and cook the shrimp next, rotating for even grilling just until the flesh is opaque and firm.
• Clean the surface of the grill and grill the bread, rotating for even grilling. Serve the warm bread, shrimp and onions on a platter with a large bowl of romesco sauce in the center for dipping.

GRILLED LEEKS WITH ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the romesco sauce. Preheat the broiler, and cover a baking sheet with foil. Place the tomatoes on the baking sheet, and place under the broiler at the highest setting. Broil for two to four minutes until charred on one side. Turn over, and broil on the other side for two to four minutes until charred. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. Peel and core.
• Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade, and drop in the garlic cloves. When the garlic is chopped and adheres to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the sides. Add the toasted almonds (or almonds and hazelnuts), bread and chili powder or flakes to the bowl. Process into a paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the pepper, tomatoes, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. With the machine running, add the vinegar and olive oil in a slow stream. Process until well mixed, then scrape into a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt as desired. If possible, allow the sauce to stand for an hour at room temperature before using.
• Cut away the dark green ends of the leeks. Trim the root end. Cut fat leeks lengthwise into quarters, and rinse thoroughly under cold water to wash away any sand. If your leeks are 1/2 inch in diameter they needn't be cut; if they are between 1/2 inch and an inch, you can just cut them in half.
• Bring an inch of water to a boil in the bottom of a steamer. Place the leeks in the steamer, and steam 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and toss with the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
• Prepare a medium-hot grill. Grill the steamed leeks for five minutes, turning often, just until grill marks appear. Remove from the heat, and serve with romesco sauce.

GRILLED SPRING ONIONS WITH ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Slice 4 garlic cloves in half crosswise and put them in a small, microwave-safe dish. Cover with 1/4 cup olive oil. Loosely cover dish with plastic wrap, cut a slit in top and cook in microwave on medium power for 1 minute, 20 seconds. Uncover and let cool. Alternately, saute garlic in oil until golden around edges, about 3 minutes.
• Place tomato cut-side down on a plate. Microwave on medium power for 4 minutes. Let cool, then pull off tomato skin; it should come right off. If not, cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Alternatively, roast tomato halves in a 350-degree oven until wrinkled and tender, 20-30 minutes, then peel.
• Chop remaining 3 cloves garlic and put in a food processor along with nuts and biscotti. Grind to a powder, add sun-dried tomatoes and yolks, and process until tomatoes are ground. Add cooked tomato, cooked garlic with oil, plus vinegar, paprika, salt and cayenne, and process until smooth. Slowly drizzle in remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Taste and adjust salt and vinegar if desired. If mixture is too thick, slowly drizzle in 1-3 tablespoons warm water. (You can make sauce up to 5 days ahead.).
• To prepare onions, preheat a grill or broiler. Brush onions with oil and place on a grilling rack or broiler pan. Grill or broil for about 5 minutes a side, until browned and softened. Serve with romesco sauce.