# Sweet Red Bell Pepper Romesco by Chef Ferrán Adriá



## Margi Cintrano (Feb 6, 2012)

Romesco is a historically traditional Catalan coulis made of sweet red peppers, hazelnuts, picatostes - which are toasted baguette cubes like a croutón and olive oil. 

Here is Chef Ferrán Adriá ´s  Recipe which he had given me during a professional magazine meeting: 

350 grams ripe tomatoes 

1 head of garlic

Olive oil - Extra Virgin 

350 grams of blanched hazelnuts ( or almonds )

Crusty Baguette French or Italian style bread 

Sherry vinegar to taste

Sweet Choricero red pepper paste ( Latin Groceries ) or Roasted fresh Red Bell Peppers blended to a coarse paste 

salt and pepper 

1) preheat oven to 400 degrees farenheit / 200 centig.
2) put the whole tomatoes and the garlic head in a roasting pan 
3) bake 45 minutes and / or until peppers blacken a little and are tender
4) when cool enough to handle : peel the tomatoes and then put in big bowl 
5) cut off the garlic head and squeze until softened flesh comes out into the bowl. Add to the tomatoes.
6) in a sauté skillet, put 2 tblsps of olive oil and sauté the hazel nuts 5 minutes 
7) when dark golden, drain on paper towels
8) dice bread into squares and sauté in 3tblsps of olive oil with herbs and salt -- oregano, rosemary and thyme 
9) put nuts, bread, vinegar and the pepper paste or softened blended bell peppers in the bowl with the other ingredients
10) adjust salt and pepper
11) with electric mixer, blend to coarse paste
12) now blend remaining oil into the pasty mixture -- mix very briefly until smooth
13) serve in dip bowl 

** great for crudities, fried potatoes and fried calamari or shrimp and fish 
Translated by: Margaux Cintrano 2011.


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## SharonT (Feb 6, 2012)

Margi Cintrano said:


> Romesco is a historically traditional Catalan coulis made of sweet red peppers, hazelnuts, picatostes - which are toasted baguette cubes like a croutón and olive oil.....
> Sweet Choricero red pepper paste ( Latin Groceries ) or Roasted fresh Red Bell Peppers blended to a coarse paste



Thanks again for another great-sounding recipe for tapas.   I found an excellent description for making sweet red pepper paste... usually I think of roasting peppers very quickly over a flame or in very hot oven.  This  low oven roasting method should result in a much smoother paste:  
Jean Anderson's Sweet Red Pepper Paste <br>(Massa de Pimentão) recipe from food52

My favorite shop for obtaining things like smoked paprika and Spanish chorizo and Manchego cheese closed... I bet they had the sweet red pepper paste too.


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