Delicious Spanish Dip

I had the good fortune last week to participate in a springtime ritual southeast of Barcelona in Tarragona where I discovered Romesco dipping sauce, a wonderful blend of tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, peppers and nuts. The recipe is below. Roasting the vegetables for the sauce takes a little while, but then it’s 1,2,3 in a blender and you’re done. However, it’s recommended that you let the sauce rest for several hours before serving to allow the flavors to marry and mellow. So, you can even make it a day ahead. It's a great sauce for almost anything -- roasted vegetables, grilled beef, chicken, shrimp, fish, pasta, or boiled or fried potatoes.

In Spain they served the Romesco sauce with calçots(pronounces cal-sots), in season from Mid-February to mid-April. They’re a cross between a leek (minus the sand) and a scallion. The calçots are cooked over charcoals while still covered with the earth they grew in. They’re brought to the table piled in semi-circular ceramic roof tiles that help keep them warm. You slip off the charcoal covered exterior layers to reveal the soft inside. Then you dip them in Romesco Sauce. You hold your head up and carefully lower the romesco dipped calçot into your mouth. They are truly luscious.

Romesco Dip Recipe
Makes 3 cups of sauce

3 large or 4 medium ripe tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
1 head of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
½ cup chopped almonds
½ cup chopped hazelnuts
1 tsp paprika
1½ tsp salt, or more to taste
¼ tsp black pepper, or more to taste
¾ cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 slice of toasted bread cut in cubes

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

2. Line a baking pan with foil. Cut the tomatoes and red bell pepper in half and place, cut side up, in the baking pan. Cut the top third off the garlic and put the larger bottom in the baking pan. Drizzle the vegetables with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Peel the tips of the garlic and set them aside.

3. Roast the vegetables in the oven for approximately 45 minutes, until soft. Let cool slightly.

4. Add the roasted tomatoes and red bell pepper to a large food processor. Squeeze the soft, cooked garlic out of its skin. Add the remaining ingredients, including the tips of garlic (peeled) that weren’t roasted. Process until pureed with a bit of texture.

5. Let the sauce rest for several hours before serving.