Romesco…the new pesto

As you know, I’m quite fond of making pesto.  I’ve tried dozens of variations depending on what nuts and herbs I have on hand.  Naturally one of my first thoughts to give our Gulf Red Snapper a boost was to whip up a yummy pesto.  Boring.  And so 2008.  When I heard the LA Times declared romesco the new pesto I knew I had to be on the bandwagon.

What is romesco, you ask? Spain’s version of Italy’s pesto.  Typically made with almonds or hazelnuts to form the paste and roasted peppers, this sauce has as many variations as its cousin pesto.  I chose to doctor mine up with the fiery hot Spanish paprika I found earlier this fall (remember that?!?!)

Make a batch of this yummy sauce today and you will come up with endless uses for it all week long.   I plan to use the romesco as a dip for carrots and celery, topped on an open-face turkey sandwich, and tossed with whole wheat pasta and grilled gulf shrimp.

But what did I end up doing with the Texas Gulf Red Snapper we scored at the Farmer’s Market? You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out how I used the Romesco sauce to make it Husband’s new favorite fish dish….

Romesco

4 plum tomatoes, chopped

1 slice of bread (I used sourdough)

1/2 cup almonds, toasted

1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted

6 garlic cloves

1 cup roasted bell peppers

1 Tbs fresh rosemary, chopped

1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp oregano, dried

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup red wine

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Lightly toast hazelnuts and almonds until just browned.

Roughly chop the tomatoes, white bread and garlic.

Pulse the nuts, tomatoes, bread and garlic in a food processor until a thick paste forms.

Add the roasted peppers, rosemary, pepper flakes, oregano, sugar, salt, pepper and paprika.  Pulse until well combined.  Add the wine and and gradually drizzle in the olive oil until a nice thick sauce is formed.