Romesco Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 or 3 tomatoes, cored
• 1 medium head garlic, unpeeled, split in half
• 1 ounce dried ñora peppers or ancho chili peppers
• 1 slice toasted or stale bread, any thick and heavy crusts removed, bread broken into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon red wine or sherry vinegar, plus more if desired
• 1/2 cup skinned and toasted almonds and/or hazelnuts
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if desired
• Kosher salt

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, then set the tomatoes and half of the garlic head on the pan. Roast until the tomatoes look puckered with a few browned, charred spots and the garlic has turned tender, about 1 hour. Set everything aside to cool.
2. While the tomatoes roast, put the dried peppers in a medium heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over them. To keep them under the water, set a weight or a damp paper towel on top. Leave them to soak until completely pliable, 30 minutes to 1 hour. If they resist softening, which can happen with thick-skinned ñoras, tear a small opening so water can get inside.
3. Strain the peppers, then remove and throw away the stems and seeds. With a paring knife, gently scrape the softened pepper flesh away from the skins, and discard the skins. Slip the skins off the roasted tomatoes and roasted garlic.
4. For a mortar and pestle version, put 3 cloves roasted garlic and 1 or 2 cloves skinned raw garlic in the mortar. Adjust the roasted or raw garlic up or down to suit your taste. Pound the garlic with the pestle until it becomes a paste.
5. Add the bread and dampen it with the vinegar, then work it into the garlic until pasty. Add the nuts and pound them as finely as you can manage. When finished, the mixture should be coarse but paste-like.
6. Work in the scraped pepper flesh, then mash in the peeled roasted tomatoes. Stir in the olive oil until the sauce comes together fully, then season with salt. For a looser, more luxurious texture, add extra oil, 1 tablespoon (15ml) at a time. Taste and add more vinegar if you want more brightness.
7. For a countertop blender or immersion blender version, place 3 cloves roasted garlic and 2 cloves skinned raw garlic in the blender jar, or in a suitable container for an immersion blender. Use more or less raw and roasted garlic if you prefer. Add the nuts and blend until finely ground, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.
8. Add the peeled roasted tomatoes and the scraped pepper flesh, then blend again. Put in the bread, olive oil, and vinegar, and continue blending until the sauce is smooth. A little texture is perfectly fine if that is what you like. Season with salt, then adjust with additional oil and vinegar to taste if desired.
9. For a food processor version, add 3 cloves roasted garlic and 2 cloves skinned raw garlic to the processor bowl, using more or less of either kind of garlic to match your taste. Add the bread and nuts, then process until everything is finely chopped, pausing to scrape down the bowl as needed.
10. Add the peeled roasted tomatoes and the scraped pepper flesh, and process until the mixture becomes a thick, rustic paste. Blend in the olive oil and vinegar, then season with salt. Adjust the flavor and consistency with more vinegar and olive oil if desired.