Steven Raichlens Romesco Sauce Recipes

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:

• Soak chilies in hot water until soft and pliable, 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid, and blot dry.
• Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Arrange nuts on a foil-lined baking sheet, and broil until toasted and fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes, shaking the pan two or three times to insure even browning. Transfer nuts to a plate. When they have cooled a bit, rub hazelnuts between the palms of your hands to remove skin. (Don't worry about removing every last bit.)
• Arrange tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper and garlic on the baking sheet, and broil until darkly browned, turning to insure browning is even. This will take 4 to 6 minutes a side: remove vegetables as they are ready. Transfer vegetables to a plate and let cool.
• Place bread on baking sheet, and toast under the broiler, 2 minutes a side, until dark. Break toast into several pieces.
• Place nuts and toast in food processor, and grind to a fine powder. Add vegetables and parsley, and puree to a coarse paste. Add oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper, and process to mix. The sauce should be thick but pourable: if it is too thick, add a little soaking liquid from the chili. If desired, add salt, sugar or vinegar to taste.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, toss the tomato, peppers, garlic, paprika, vinegar and 1 tablespoon olive oil; set aside.
• In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the torn bread and cook, tossing often, for 3 to 5 minutes, until toasted and golden brown. Transfer to a cutting board to cool, then coarsely chop the bread into pieces.
• Carefully wipe out any crumbs from the pan with a paper towel, then add a splash of olive oil. Add the almonds and toast over medium heat, tossing occasionally, for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to the board with the bread and set aside to cool.
• Pat the fish dry with a paper towel and place on a sheet pan or in a baking dish. Brush all over with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add the bread, almonds and parsley to the tomato salsa and toss well. Spoon over the fish fillets, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and serve immediately.