Charred Spring Onions Romesco Recipes

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.

Steps:

• Prepare the romesco sauce: If using a dried pepper, remove the stem and seeds from the pepper and soak in warm water for 1 hour, or until softened. Scrape off the flesh and discard skin. If using a roasted pepper, remove the charred skin, stem, and seeds, and chop. Set aside.
• In a food processor, finely chop the bread and almonds. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, tomato and reserved flesh of the pepper. Process to a smooth paste. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a thin stream, until mixture is the consistency of a thick, creamy sauce. Add the warm water as needed to help thin the sauce if necessary. Adjust the seasonings, transfer to a bowl and set aside at room temperature or chill until ready to serve.
• Preheat a grill or broiler, and preheat an oven to 400 degrees F. Trim the roots off the onions and spread them over the grill. Grill the onions until charred all over but not dried out, turning frequently. Transfer the onions to a large roasting pan, cover tightly and roast in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve the onions steaming hot, strip back the charred outer skin, dip the onions in the romesco sauce, eat the white bottoms and discard the top.

Steps:

• Preheat a cast-iron griddle or skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the shishito peppers and cook, flipping as needed, until blistered and browned, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add the lime cut-side down and cook until charred.
• In a bowl, toss the broccolini with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt and pepper. Add the broccolini to the griddle and cook until charred and the stems are fork-tender, about 7 minutes.
• Meanwhile, reserve a handful of the peppers for serving, and remove the stems from the remaining peppers.
• To the carafe of a food processor, add the stemmed peppers, hazelnuts, peas, cilantro and white balsamic vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until coarse, then, with the food processor running, slowly add 1/2 cup olive oil and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• To serve, spread the romesco sauce in a shallow bowl or platter. Top with the charred vegetables, sliced jalapenos and a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle with the flaky salt and a handful of cilantro leaves. Squeeze the charred lime over the top just before serving.

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.

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.