This sauce of dried chilies, roasted garlic, tomatoes with almonds and stale bread from Catalunya, Spain is very versatile…use it as a dip for raw or grilled veggies, as a side for fish and meat, and as a spread on bread.
This pairs very nicely with my Pan-Roasted Monkfish and Fennel Slaw.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- Spanish ñora pepper (or substitute ancho or pasilla chile): 4 dried ñora or 1 ancho/pasilla
- bread: 2 stale slices (fresh bread can be lightly toasted), crust removed, about 75 g/2.6 oz
- garlic: 1 head
- tomatoes: 4 medium
- olive oil: for roasting the garlic and tomatoes
- sherry vinegar: 2 Tb
- sliced almonds: 20 g/.5 cup
- olive oil: 120 mL/.5 cup
- smoked paprika: .5 tsp (optional, not traditional)
- salt: to taste
Steps
- Roast the tomatoes and garlic. Heat the oven to 200 C/400F. Cut the top off the garlic head to expose the cloves and drizzle olive oil on top. Wrap the head in foil. Halve the tomatoes and cut out the small stem piece (you can keep the seeds) and add to a large baking dish and lightly coat with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add the garlic to the dish as well and roast for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of the head.
- Toast the almonds. While the tomatoes and garlic are roasting, add the almonds to a small pan/oven-safe dish and add to the oven, until browned, about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to give even browning. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Hydrate the peppers. Bring a few cups/500 mL of water to a boil, remove from the heat and add the dried peppers. Allow to soak for 15-30 minutes, remove from the water and remove the stem and seeds. Tear/cut into small pieces.
- Puree the sauce. Add all ingredients to a blender and puree. You can leave chunky or puree longer for a smoother sauce. The sauce can be eaten room temperature, heated or cold.