Romesco

Ingredients

• 2 ñora peppers, dried, rehydrated in warm water, flesh scraped free of skin and seeds
• 2 red peppers, roasted over open flame or under high broiler until skin is blackened in patches, peeled
• 2 ripe tomatoes, roasted or charred until skin is blackened in patches
• 50 g blanched hazelnuts, toasted until just golden
• 50 g blanched almonds, toasted until just golden
• 1 head garlic, roasted whole in its skin until cloves are yielding, flesh squeezed out
• 2 slices stale bread, crusts removed, soaked in water or wine, squeezed dry, then fried until golden
• olive oil, for frying and binding
• 1–2 tbsp sherry vinegar, added at the end, after blending
• salt

Method

1. 1
   Soak the ñora peppers in warm water until fully softened and pliable. Slit each pepper, remove the stem and seeds, and scrape the flesh from the skin with a spoon. The recovered flesh should be deep burgundy, dense, and faintly sticky — discard all skin.
2. 2
   Place the red peppers and tomatoes directly over an open flame or under a high broiler, turning as needed, until the skin is blackened in patches across the surface. Transfer to a covered bowl, allow to steam, then peel. The charred patches on the flesh should leave a faint, caramelised bitterness distinct from the surrounding sweetness.
3. 3
   Roast the whole, unpeeled head of garlic in a dry pan or oven until the cloves yield completely to gentle pressure and the papery skin is lightly coloured. Squeeze the softened flesh free of the skins. The cloves should be golden, jammy, and sweet — no trace of sharpness.
4. 4
   Toast the hazelnuts and almonds in a dry pan over moderate heat, moving them continuously, until they are just golden and the internal oils are visibly active on the surface. Remove from heat immediately. This is the step on which the dish lives or dies: nuts taken even slightly past golden will drive the finished sauce bitter, overwhelming the delicate nutty sweetness that defines romesco.
5. 5
   Soak the stale bread in water or wine until saturated, then squeeze firmly and completely dry. Fry the squeezed bread in a film of olive oil over moderate heat, turning once, until golden on both sides and dry enough to crumble at the edges. This fried, starch-laden bread is the emulsifying matrix of the sauce.
6. 6
   Combine the ñora flesh, charred peppers, charred tomatoes, roasted garlic, toasted nuts, and fried bread in a mortar or the bowl of a food processor. Work in pulses only — do not blend continuously. Add olive oil in a slow stream between pulses to bind. The sauce is ready when it holds a dense, slightly grainy, cohesive texture: it should not be smooth, and a spoon drawn through it should leave a channel that closes slowly.
7. 7
   Add the sherry vinegar, season with salt, and stir through by hand rather than by machine. Taste: the vinegar should brighten all elements without acidifying or flattening the nutty sweetness. Adjust with a few drops more vinegar if the sauce reads as flat.