Red Crudites With Romesco Sauce Food

ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup each skinned hazelnuts and roasted almonds, 1 cup crusty bread cubes, 2 sliced garlic cloves and 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes; cook until golden, 3 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and add 1 canned peeled whole tomato, 1/4 cup jarred piquillo peppers and 1/2 to 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar; pulse until mostly smooth, thinning with up to 1/3 cup water if needed. Season with salt and red pepper flakes.

PANTRY PASTA WITH ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
• Meanwhile, combine the red peppers, whole almonds, breadcrumbs, vinegar, granulated garlic and paprika in a food processor and process until the texture is coarse but uniform. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil and process until the sauce is thickened and emulsified. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
• Transfer the sauce to a large bowl. Add the pasta and enough of the reserved pasta water so that the sauce is loose enough to pour but smooth enough to stick to the pasta. Divide the pasta among individual bowls, and sprinkle with the chopped almonds.

ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• 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 chile powder or flakes to the bowl and process to a paste.
• Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the pepper, tomatoes, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper. Process until smooth, and with the machine running, add the vinegar and olive oil in a slow stream, beginning with the smaller amount of olive oil and thinning out as desired. Process until well amalgamated, then scrape into a bowl.
• Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt or chile as desired. If possible, allow the sauce to stand for an hour at room temperature before using. Serve with fish and/or grilled vegetables, or on crostini.