Mediterranean food guru Joyce Goldstein calls salsa romesco “Catalan ketchup” – the nut-thickened sauce, she notes, “seems to be good on everything, from broiled fish and lamb chops to cooked beets, potatoes, asparagus or green beans.” (Click here to see salsa romesco recipe.)
Salsa romesco is a specialty of the Spanish city of Tarragona. Joyce’s version features chiles, red bell peppers, hazelnuts, almonds, paprika, red wine vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil.
In her book Tapas (Chronicle Books, 2009), Joyce pairs the romesco with grilled vegetables that currently are at their seasonal peak: artichokes, asparagus and green onions. (Click here to see the recipe.)
One of our more robust oils, like our Miller’s Blend or Arbosana, would be an especially good choice for making the romesco.
The inspiration for Joyce’s recipe comes from a green onion dish served in Spain.
“In early spring, when the large green onions called calçots appear in Barcelona’s famed La Boqueria market, it’s time to fire up the grill for the traditional calçotada, a feast that pairs the sweet, tender onions with salsa romesco,” Joyce writes. She suggests using spring onions, large green onions, or baby leeks.
“For variety, and because they are in season at the same time, I like to grill some fat asparagus spears and artichokes to go along with the onions,” Joyce adds. Plan to cook the vegetables in boiling water before you toss them on the grill brushed with olive oil. (Our Everyday Fresh oil would work well.)
And be prepared to roll up your sleeves when you eat the veggies dipped in the romesco. “The onions are quite juicy, so you might need to hand out bibs when everyone sits down to eat,” Joyce advises.
Bon appétit,
Your friends at California Olive Ranch
Your recipe for the Romesco Sauce says to add olive oil to the blended ingredients. Being a seller of olive oil you need to know that adding olive oil to a blender makes the olive oil bitter. There is a connection between the olive oil and the steel blade that changes the chemical make up of the olive oil. Many cookbook authors have not tested their recipes and seeing olive oil put in a blender is a dead giveaway. James Peterson knows as I learned of this from one of his books.
Thanks Laurie for your info. We’re not aware of this. Many cookbook authors and olive oil experts, including Paula Wolfert,, Joyce Goldstein, and Bill Briwa at the CIA Greystone, use a food processor, etc. when making sauces with olive oil. We know they’ve tested their recipes (Paula Wolfert usually tries something three times before she’s satisfied). We’ll keep your info in mind. Thanks for sharing.