Spiced up this classic Catalan sauce and then smeared it over chicken, salmon fillets before grilling and even used as a base for a fish curry over the next few days.
Sweet, smoky, nutty and this version has a nice spicy kick with the inclusion of chilli flakes.
It’s great to have in the fridge to brighten things up.
It’s delicious as a dip on it’s own as well. The recipe makes a big bowl of it so use it as you please!
Sauce: Prep time 40 minutes
Ingredients:
· 2 large red capsicums
· 1 tomato
· 6 cloves of garlic with skin on
· 1 slice of white bread
· ½ cup of nuts – I used walnuts but traditional is almonds
· 1 tbsp sherry vinegar (or red/white wine) – I used apple cider vinegar
· 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
· 2 teaspoons chilli flakes
· 1 tsp salt
· 3 tablespoons olive oil
Method:
Heat oven to 200 degrees celcius
Wrap tomato and garlic in foil
Place red capsicums whole in oven, alongside foil parcel
Grill turning red capsicums until blackened and char grilled on all sides
Remove capsicums and foil parcel from oven
Put bread and nuts in hot oven and grill until nuts are browned and bread is toasted on both sides – take care not to burn nuts (lower oven heat to 170 degrees or so) my walnuts got a bit dark but it still tasted good!
Place blackened capsicums in a plastic bag and seal – leave to steam and cool, remove skin and seeds – put in blender
Remove skin from tomato and peel garlic and put in blender with rest of ingredients – break toasted bread into large “crumbs”
Whizz until smooth thick paste forms, place in bowl.
Chicken Thigh Cutlets: Marinate overnight if you like, cooking time: 35-40 minutes
Ingredients:
4-6 chicken thigh cutlets – skin on and bone in
1 tablespoon olive oil
Fresh Thyme
Black peppper
Method:
· Rub Chicken thigh cutlets with 2-3 tablespoons of romesco sauce – leave to marinate for a while, even overnight if you can but it’s not mandatory.
· Sprinkle with black pepper, thyme and olive oil – might need a bit more salt
· Place in hot oven 175 degrees Celsius
· Roast until skin crisps up and chicken is cooked through – about 30 minutes, then turn up to 250 degrees for 5 -10 minutes to crisp up skin
· Serve with salad, rice or roast vegetables with romesco sauce on side.
Salmon Fillets
Smear Salomon fillets with romesco sauce, grill in hot oven 180 degrees for 15 minutes or so, turn skin side up, turn up oven to 250 degrees and grill until skin crisps up for about 5 minutes, I served this with couscous and a vegetable tagine with preserved lemons.
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