GRILLED VEGGIES WITH ROMESCO SAUCE

Thank you to everyone who left well wishes last week about my poor thumb, and helpful suggestions for my fighting-dog issue. I’m doing much better now. Since I was one hand down last week my wonderful husband took over and cooked this lovely meal for us.

Sunday night, I sat back and drank wine while Jack carefully peeled, chopped, prepped, and grilled. I surely did not make fun of him for how long it could possibly take one to trim a pepper and I tried hard to keep my “helpful suggestions” to a minimum.

And now about the food — romesco might just be my favorite sauce. Sweet, smoky, tangy… Serve it alongside veggies, fish or meats and don’t skimp on the grilled bread. Pop open a bottle of Cava and pretend you’re on a patio somewhere in Barcelona.

GRILLED VEGGIES:
Whatever veggies you like – toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and grill. We had leeks, peppers, zucchini and also grilled slices of ciabatta bread.

We also roasted some potatoes in the oven (because I thought they would take too long to grill). 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until crispy and brown on the edges.

ROMESCO SAUCE:(makes about 1.5 cups, keep leftovers in the fridge for a few days)

1 red bell pepper, roasted, skin and seeds removed (instructions here)
1 large, or 2 small slices of ciabatta, toasted with butter (or vegan butter)
1/4 cup hazelnuts, blanched & peeled (instructions here, we did them together with the almonds)
1/4 cup almonds, blanched and peeled
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons tomato paste + 3 tablespoons water (or 3-4 tomatoes, I just didn’t have any)
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
red pepper flakes, to taste
salt & pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor. Pulse until they’re well combined. Drizzle in olive oil and process until it becomes a thick paste. Taste and adjust seasonings