A roasted pepper, hazelnut and wild garlic romesco sauce inspired by the traditional Catalonian recipe. This is a gluten-free version with no bread, with foraged wild garlic instead of garlic cloves. I served the sauce on top of slow roasted aubergines with Cauliflower Couscous, griddled halloumi and a big green salad. Serves 4.
- 2 Red Peppers
- 2 Medium Fresh Tomatoes
- 50g Hazelnuts
- Handful Fresh Wild Garlic (can substitute 2 cloves bulb garlic)
- 1 tsp Sweet Smoked Paprika
- 1-2 Fresh Chillies
- 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 2-3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Heat the grill to high. Cut the peppers and tomatoes in half and place them on a tray under the grill, skin sides up until the skins are charred, around 10 minutes.
- Place peppers and tomatoes in a sandwich bag for 5 minutes. This is a trick to steam off the skins. Remove from bag and peel off and discard the blackened skin.
- Meanwhile, toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan until browning and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
- Finely chop the chillies, removing the seeds if you want a less potent heat.
- Roughly chop the wild garlic, or if using cloves, finely chop and lightly fry in a little olive oil until golden.
- Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend into a chunky purée. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.
- If the sauce seems too thick, ad a little more oil or a dash of hot water.
Variations:
- To make a more traditional romesco sauce, only use 1 pepper and add a slice of sourdough bread, crusts removed.
- An addition of 50g feta cheese works very well to add seasoning and depth of flavour.
- Some good quality olives also can be used like the feta.
This has become a staple in my kitchen, I usually mix it with ground turkey and serve over quinoa or brown rice. Incredibly delicious!