Roasted Red Pepper & Pistachio Romesco

Pistachio Romesco Recipe

• Prep Time: 5 min.
• Cook Time: 45 min.
• Yield: 2 cups

Romesco is a very traditional Spanish sauce that was created by fisherman on the Mediterranean Sea. To this day, warm or room temperature, this recipe rocks with fish, shellfish, and any type of sea food.

Unless I am on a mission to find ingredients for a specific recipe that I am set on, I tend to allow inspiration to come to me from what looks freshest and what’s on sale at the grocery store. Impulse-buying, sort of.

This time, beautiful red bell peppers were huge and bright and vastly discounted, as were the pistachios, so I decided to make my own version of a classic Spanish Romesco. It is not necessary to let the final mixture rest before serving, but allowing the Romesco 20 minutes at room temperature will enhance the flavours.

Traditionally, Romesco is tomato-based, with toasted almonds, and red wine vinegar, among the other ingredients. I couldn’t resist creating a rendition with roasted, charred red bell peppers, a blend of ground almonds and pistachios, balsamic vinegar, and tons of earth-given seasonings. My profound apologies to culinary purists!

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Ingredients

• 3 large red bell pepper, roasted (instructions below)
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic clove, smashed, minced
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/3 cup pistachios
• 1 Roma tomato, diced
• ½ cup very finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Hungarian hot paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Procedure

1. Rinse and dry the red bell peppers. Place the whole bell peppers on a foil-covered sheet pan. Cut one short venting slit into each. Roast the peppers for about 15 minutes, turning as each side gets blistered and blackened. The skins should be charred, and the flesh should be soft.
2. Meanwhile, toast the almonds and pistachios. In a dry sauté pan, over medium heat, toast the almonds and pistachios, stirring frequently, until the almonds are pink. Do not over-tongue until brown.
3. Rest and cool for 10 minutes. Place the toasted nuts in a spice mill and grind until a powder is formed. Too much heat from overgrinding will result in the oil from the nuts separating.
4. Remove the peppers from the oven and set aside to cool. When the temperature enables handling, gently wrangle off the pepper’s thin, transparent skin layer and discard. Remove the peppers’ stems and discard them.
5. Slit the peppers into eighths, from cap to tip, discarding any lingering seeds. Place in a blender with the olive oil and garlic. Blend until smooth.
6. Add the ground toasted almonds and pistachios to the roasted peppers in the blender. Pulse for 5 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and mix on low speed for 10 seconds.
7. That’s it! Here’s roasted red pepper Romesco to enjoy in a multitude of settings. Serve it with grilled fish, such as grilled whole trout, cajun grilled shrimp, or any white fish, Veracruz style. Try this roasted red pepper romesco with eggplant roulade for a lovely combination.
8. Serve with a side of Spanish Rice Pilaf, or warm up the Romesco and drizzle this sauce over steamed mushrooms. Yum!
9. I would exclude pasta or red meats from pairing with this Romesco Sauce recipe. It is entirely suited to fish and shellfish, including mollusks such as mussels.
10. There are plenty of Romesco pasta recipes out there, but my instincts just can’t condone the combination. Ditto vis-à-vis red meats. Just saying.