Ingredients for Easy romesco sauce (with roast peppers and sun-dried tomatoes)
- 300 g roasted red peppers. These are from a 16oz (450g) jar. Weight of 300g after draining
- 50 g sun-dried tomatoes (approx 1/4 cup). From an oil-packed jar. 50g is the weight after draining and rinsing
- 3 medium-to-large cloves of garlic, peeled and quartered
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, to taste
- 90 g almonds (approx 1/2 cup). Unsalted. Either raw, toasted, or roasted
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Cooking Instructions for making Easy romesco sauce (with roast peppers and sun-dried tomatoes)
Here are the ingredients before prep.
Here’s the measured and prepped ingredients, ready to be blended.
What you’re going to do is easy – you’re going to combine and hand-blend all the ingredients in a container. I use a hand blender and a one-pint measuring jug.
You can combine and blend however you like. But read the next steps for my preferred approach of progressively combining everything. One important note – add the oil as the final step, and do it gradually. Taste as you go, and check the consistency as you go. Stop when you’re happy with the taste and consistency.
I start with the peppers, giving them a quick coarse blend. This allows some space in the jug for the next ingredients.
Add the garlic, salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, and sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar). Give these a longer blend, so that all the ingredients (particularly the garlic) are blended and combined.
Add the almonds. Blend until the almonds are broken up enough. I avoid going too far here, though. It’s OK if the almost pieces are still a bit chunky right now – we will fine tune the consistency later.
Add half of the oil (i.e., 1/4 cup) and blend to incorporate the oil. Check the colour and taste. Now progressively add the rest of the oil, but stop once you’re happy with the colour and taste.
Fresh oil will eventually add some bitterness to the sauce. Some people love this, others don’t. Taste as you go so you can find the balance you like.
At this stage, you can also add some salt to taste. Sometimes I might also add some paprika and cayenne pepper here, if I it’s not punchy enough.
Once you’re happy with the colour and flavour, you can finish by tuning the texture. Blend it more if you want a smoother creamy texture.
Serve immediately, or store in a jar in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days.
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