Steven Raichlen's Romesco Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 dried ancho chili (or 3 dried anorra chilies), stemmed
• 2 tablespoons blanched almonds
• 2 tablespoons hazelnuts
• 3 ripe tomatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds), cut in half
• 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
• ½ red bell pepper, seeded
• 1 jalapeno pepper, halved and seeded
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 slice country-style white bread
• ¼ cup finely chopped flatleaf parsley
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil (preferably Spanish)
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or more, to taste
• ¼ teaspoon sugar, or more, to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)

    89 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 1 gram protein; 12 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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2 cups

Preparation

1. Soak chilies in hot water until soft and pliable, 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid, and blot dry.
2. 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.)
3. 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.
4. Place bread on baking sheet, and toast under the broiler, 2 minutes a side, until dark. Break toast into several pieces.
5. 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.

35 minutes