Walnut Romesco Sauce Food

SPICED LAMB MEATBALLS WITH WALNUT ROMESCO

Steps:

• Sauce:
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Toss bell pepper, tomato, and garlic with oil on a clean rimmed baking sheet and roast until browned and softened, 20-25 minutes. Let cool.
• Remove skin from bell pepper, tomato, and garlic; discard. Purée walnuts, bell pepper, tomato, garlic, oil, vinegar, chipotle chile powder, parsley, and paprika in a food processor until smooth. Season sauce with salt and black pepper.
• Meatballs and assembly:
• Toast coriander seeds in a dry small skillet over medium heat, swirling pan often and adding cumin seeds during the last 30 seconds, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Let cool, then finely grind in spice mill or with mortar and pestle.
• Pulse onion, cilantro, parsley, and 1 1/2 tsp. salt in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a large kitchen towel. Gather ends of towel in each hand and twist over sink, wringing out as much liquid as possible. Mix onion mixture, spice mixture, egg yolk, paprika, black pepper, cayenne, and remaining 1 tsp. salt in a large bowl to combine. Gently fold lamb into spice mixture to evenly distribute (be careful not to overmix). Using a 1-oz. ice cream scoop or wet hands, form meat mixture into 1 1/2" balls (you should have 16).
• Heat oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high. Working in 2 batches, cook meatballs, turning occasionally, until browned all over and cooked through, 5-8 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve with walnut romesco sauce.

BROWN BUTTER PORK CHOPS WITH WALNUT ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the pork chops: Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and season each side with a generous amount (a 4-finger pinch) of each salt and black pepper. Let rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.
• In a large skillet, heat the butter and canola oil over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to smoke, gently place the pork chops in the skillet and cook until deep golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to a baking sheet and roast until just rosy in the center and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a chop registers 145 degrees F, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, for the walnut romesco: Combine the garlic, roasted red pepper, bread, oil, Pecorino, walnuts, water, tomato paste, vinegar, salt and pepper in a food processor. Process until a finely chopped paste forms, adding more water a tablespoon at a time if needed. Transfer the sauce to a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until it is warm.
• Serve the pork chops with the warm romesco. Sprinkle with parsley if using. Enjoy!

BROCCOLI WITH WALNUT ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Saute 2 garlic cloves in 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat, 3 minutes. Puree with half of a roasted red pepper (drained), 1/2 cup walnuts, 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon each tomato paste and sherry vinegar, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder. Serve with steamed broccoli.

ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, soak the bread cubes in the vinegar for 20 minutes. Toast the almonds for 10 to 15 minutes, watching closely. Cool the almonds completely, then grind them in a mortar and pestle or food processor until they are finely ground but not oily. Add the vinegar soaked bread, tomatoes, paprika, salt and pepper to the processor and grind together briefly until evenly pureed. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a thin stream.

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.

GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN FILLED WITH WALNUT ROMESCO AND SERVED WITH CARAMELIZED DATE-SHALLOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium saute pan over high heat, until smoking. Saute the garlic, bell pepper, chiles, and bread cubes until lightly browned, about 2 minutes each. Stir in half of the walnuts. Remove each ingredient with a slotted spoon as it is done. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar. Place all sauteed ingredients and the deglazing liquid into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the remaining walnuts, raisins and apricots and puree until smooth and thickened, season with salt and pepper.
• For the Grilled Pork Tenderloin: Preheat grill or oven to 400 degrees F. Season both sides of the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper. Spread a thin layer of the Walnut Remesco down the center, fold each side over the filling, and tie with butcher's twine. Brush each tenderloin with oil and grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until just cooked through. If using oven, heat oil in a large ovenproof saute pan over high heat. Sear the meat on both sides, until golden brown, place in oven and roast for 10 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
• For the Caramelized Date Sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and the sugar and cook until caramelized, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Increase the heat to medium-high. Add both wines and reduce the mixture to 1/4 cup. Add the dates, stock and molasses and continue cooking until reduced to 2 cups, and reaches the consistency of a slightly thick sauce, about 30 minutes, keep warm.
• To serve, slice tenderloin into 1-inch thick pieces and top with a little Remesco sauce and drizzle with date sauce.

ROMESCO SAUCE

Steps:

• Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan for 3-4 mins until starting to turn golden and smelling toasted. Shake the pan often to turn them. Tip out and leave to cool.
• Drain the red peppers and tip into a food processor with the almonds, garlic, vinegar and smoked paprika, then blitz to a chunky paste.
• With the motor still on, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to make a dip. A bit of texture works well for this rather than blending to a super smooth consistency. Season well, adding a little more vinegar, if you like.