You can find bottled sauces in stores that claim to be a “magic sauce”. But I am so confident that Spanish Romesco Sauce is THE ultimate magic sauce that I’m willing to put a bet on it. If someone can show me a sauce / dip that is tastier and more versatile, then….hmm….what’s a good punishment for me? I know! I’ll be VEGAN for a month. No meat, no eggs, no dairy and….shudder at the thought…no cheese. Oooohh…that’s a BIG BET!!! 🙂 The reason I have so much confidence in Romesco Sauce is because Spaniards have been devouring it for centuries and once the Western world started discovering it in the 21st century, chefs all around the world jumped on it. Because the pros knew they had stumbled on something really special. 😉 It’s smoky from the chargrilled capsicum/bell peppers. It’s creamy and tastes rich, it’s like a dip – but a softer consistency. And like pesto – but so much healthier (far less oil). It’s a sauce to put on food, to add into things for cooking (soups, stews, sauces), it’s a marinade, a spread.
And here’s more validation for Romesco Sauce – if you need it! Each month, Super Food Ideas magazine (Australia’s largest food magazine – woo hoo!) asks me to submit ideas for a feature. I love that brainstorming phase. The floodgates open and I send them lists of theme ideas and use an excessive amount of exclamation marks (due to overexcitement) when I describe the recipes. (Oh wait – let me add some here – !!!!) A brief description of the magic of Romesco Sauce was all it took for Super Food Ideas to jump on it. See? The PROS know an amazing sauce when they see it!!! 😉 Look, here’s the spread!!! It’s available now, finally! I did these recipes months ago, I’ve been waiting so impatiently for this to hit the stands!
Here’s a little run down on each of the recipes I created for Super Food Ideas using Romesco Sauce.
Spanish Roast Chicken with Grilled Veg (below left) – marinated in Romesco Sauce which transforms into the most amazing crust when baked!
Barbecued Marinated Lamb with Smashed Potatoes (below right), drizzled with Romesco Sauce – I know I should tell you how amazing the lamb is (and it really is!) but those smashed potatoes…..Courtesy of Claire from Sprinkles and Sprouts, a fellow Aussie food blogger! See her Smashed Crispy Thyme Potatoes recipe here.
Barbecued Seafood Skewers with Romesco Sauce (below left) – Prawns, fish and squid skewers served with Romesco Sauce on the side. This is the original purpose for which Romesco Sauce was invented by Spanish fishermen, and just one bite is all it takes to know that smoky creamy Romesco sauce and fresh seafood is a match made in heaven. 🙂
Summer Pasta Salad (below middle) – Romesco Sauce is brilliant to use as a pesto!
Romesco Eggs with Chorizo (below right)- Breakfast, lunch or dinner, just make sure you serve this with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the incredible tomato-Romesco sauce!
Though traditionally made with bell peppers / capsicum that is cooked until black on the BBQ, directly over the flame of gas stoves, or in a cranked up oven, it can also be made with store-bought chargrilled capsicum. Still delicious – but the wonderful smoky flavour is even more intense if you make your own chargrilled capsicum! Romesco Sauce. I am unnaturally obsessed with this. I really hope you give it a go! – Nagi x PS Isn’t the colour sensational? Makes me smile just looking at it!
PPS I hate to play favorites…..but my gosh, this Spanish Romesco Marinated Chicken is incredible. Incredible! (If I do say so myself!). The Romesco Sauce crust that forms when the chicken is roasted is so good!!! The recipe is in this months’ Super Food Ideas – along with all the other ones pictured above! 🙂
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