The pride of Catalonia in terms of culinary treasures is Romesco sauce. The dish originates in small rustic kitchens, in houses hidden among mountain slopes and covered with crowns of almond trees. It was here that the world famous sauce originated. The cooking process only at first glance seems complicated and time-consuming. If you know all the secrets and nuances of cooking, then even a novice hostess will cope with the task. The classic sauce recipe simply does not exist. Each Spanish family has its own ancient recipe, its own production technology, which is passed down from generation to generation.
Of course, you can not waste your precious time and just buy Spanish Romesco sauce at the nearest supermarket. But experienced culinary experts say that an industrial product has nothing to do with a traditional Romesco. Try to cook this magnificent, tasty and fragrant sauce yourself. We have chosen for you the simplest and most understandable recipes.
A small digression into history
In the old days, when the Europeans were just beginning their journey into exploring America, the Catalans began to plant Romanesque peppers. In Spain, it is also called "sheep's horns." The inhabitants of Catalonia are very independent and attentive to their kitchen, avoiding getting low-quality or tasteless products on the table. However, in the recipe for a Romesco sauce, you can still catch the French and Italian culinary notes.
The original recipe uses red bell peppers, but many chefs replace it with a classic and more familiar chili pepper. A historical culinary fact that has remained unchanged for centuries is the density of the sauce. It is she who determines its quality, it is she who shows that the product was prepared in the right way. Homogeneity is the key to success.
Good neighbors
Even if you managed to get high-quality red pepper, even if you know by heart the recipe for Romesco sauce from Julia Vysotskaya or another famous chef, it is always very important to decide which dish you are preparing it for. The correct and harmonious combination of the main dish and sauce is very important.
Romesko is ideal for fish with a delicate taste. It can be sea bass, cod or dorado. This sauce goes well with any vegetables, for example, grilled or baked in the oven. Good "neighbors" will be a Romesco sauce and meat with a pronounced bright taste (beef, duck, lamb).
List of Essential Ingredients
- Two large red peppers (can be replaced with sweet Bulgarian);
- three tomatoes;
- 7 cloves of garlic;
- 2 chili peppers;
- 165 g almonds;
- 80 g hazelnuts;
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil;
- a pinch of salt;
- 1.5 teaspoons ground black pepper;
- 40 ml of wine vinegar;
- parsley;
- rosemary;
- fresh mint.
Pepper processing
One of the important secrets to making a classic romesco sauce is the right choice of ingredients. Any Spanish housewife will say that for the sauce it is better to choose products that grew directly on your garden bed (tomatoes, peppers), as well as in a nearby forest (almonds and garlic). The most important components of a Catalan dish must be of high quality, different naturalness and safety for health.
If possible, of course, you need to find Spanish red pepper. It is its softened pulp that gives the dish the desired color, aroma and flavor. Pepper for a Romesco sauce is soaked for a day in cold water. As a rule, this is done with dried pepper (fresh, we do not grow and is not sold in a "live" form). After soaking, the pepper will look more voluminous and bright in color. Using a spoon, you need to scrape off the flesh. It will be she who will be directly involved in the preparation of Catalan sauce.
Cooking technology
Now let's move on to the second main ingredient - tomatoes. They will need to be baked in the oven. On a small baking sheet, oiled or covered with baking paper, put the tomatoes, garlic cloves and nuts (hazelnuts and almonds). It will be enough 10 minutes at a low temperature to cook nuts. We leave the tomatoes for another 15 minutes in the oven. After this process, the garlic will have a slightly baked appearance, and the tomatoes will remain juicy, despite the skinkled skin.
Another secret to making Romesco sauce is to use a mortar. It was with her help that experienced chefs recommend grinding the ingredients for the sauce. Of course, if it is not possible to purchase a wooden or stone mortar for the kitchen, you can use a blender. But this, as they say, is an extreme option.
Nuts are the first to fall into a mortar. After chopping, tomatoes and garlic are added. Put a pinch of salt and push further until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Gradually add all the other ingredients, starting with hot red pepper and ending with fresh herbs. The last to go are olive oil and wine vinegar. Spices can be put at any stage of preparation. In the photo, Romesco sauce is always a pleasant saturated color. To get this shade, you need to let the sauce stand for about two hours. Spanish housewives call this the ripening process.
Ready sauce is laid out in jars and stored in a cool place. Since the cooking process takes a lot of time and takes a lot of effort, the housewives prefer to do immediately a large number of it. It is stored in the refrigerator or in the cellar.
Pants and romesco
The Spaniards always associate Romesca sauce with one of the popular events. From December to March on the streets of Spanish cities, you can catch people engaged in hot wild onions. Calçotadas is the name of spring onions growing in the provinces of Catalonia, and traditional Spanish dishes, and folk festivities.
The Spaniards are particularly enthusiastic about preparing this product on the grill right on the streets of the city. But never onions are not consumed without calmesot sauce. Before lowering the onion into a spicy mass, it needs to be removed from the rough upper skin. Only white baked onion head is eaten. She has an amazing aroma, taste and juiciness. From the outside it seems that this is a rather "dirty" business, but in fact it is very fascinating, interesting, fun and tasty.
Spanish housewives procure most of the Romesco sauce for the occasion. Of course, leaving a couple of treasured jars with fragrant contents for family holidays and Christmas.
Baked Cod with Beans and Romesco
Another popular dish of Catalonia is baked fish with beans and already well-known already romesco sauce. Traditionally in Spain it is cod. The fish is fried with garlic and red pepper in olive oil. In most Spanish restaurants, it is served with boiled beans and romesco sauce.
Butifarra sausages
Another traditional Spanish dish that goes well with red pepper sauce. Pork sausages are served both in restaurants and in home cooking. It can be a self-sufficient dish served only with sauce, or it can be a treat, complemented by a side dish of beans or sweet potatoes. Spaniards cook sausages for grilling on their own, acquiring high-quality meat. Of course, if there is no time, then you can use purchased sausages for frying. Romesko will make everything delicious.