Pumpkin Seed Romesco

Romesco sauce comes from the Catalonia region of Spain, and is traditionally a smokey blend of toasted nuts and roasted red peppers. This sauce is good enough to eat on its own, but makes a great accompaniment to albondigas and pairs great with grilled vegetables.

Difficulty

Intermediate

Yield

Makes 1.5 litres

Ingredients

4 large roasted red bell peppers4 garlic cloves, smashed2 cups pumpkin seeds, toasted2 cups tomato purée1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley1/2 cup Sherry vinegar4 teaspoons smoked paprika1 teaspoon cayenne pepper1/2 cup olive oil Salt to taste Pepper to taste

Equipment

Measuring spoonsMeasuring cupsMixing bowls of various sizesChef's knifeCutting boardBlender or food processorWooden spoonMedium frying panSpatulaTasting spoonsDish towel

Gather your mise en place; get together all of the equipment needed for the recipe and gather your ingredients.

Remove the skin from the garlic and smash it or chop it roughly.

Remove the leaves from the parsley and chop it roughly.

Measure out the pumpkin seeds, and turn the stove on to medium high heat. Place the pumpkin seeds in a medium frying pan and toast them slowly until they start to pop and are fragrant. Take them out of the pan immediately so they don’t toast any further.

Place the roasted red peppers, garlic, pumpkin seeds, tomato puree, parsley, sherry vinegar, smoked paprika and cayenne in a blender or food processor.

Turn on the blender and grind the contents to a paste, while slowly adding in the olive oil in a thin stream. Add additional oil if needed, the romesco should be thick enough to coat a spoon well.

Season well with salt and pepper to taste.