Once upon a time, in what seems like a galaxy far, far away, Jeff and I used to travel quite a bit. Our last great hurrah before we had kids was a 17-day trip to Spain. We ate tapas, visited wineries, toured cities, and drove up and down Spain. It was awesome. And it was the first time we tried grilled scallions with romesco sauce. Tender grill scallions with a thick, delicious romesco sauce – yum!
I’ve now made these many, many times at home. I typically serve them as a side dish with steak because the grilled onions and sauce pair will with a nice grilled ribeye. I’ve tried a few different ways of making the Romesco and this one is my favorite: thick, rich sauce with the nutty flavor of almonds. Wash it down with an ice cold glass of sangria for a perfect weekend dinner on the deck!
- 1 dried Ancho chile
- 1 vine ripened tomato, cored and halved
- ½ red bell pepper, seeded
- ½ medium onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for the scallions
- 1 slice country bread, crust removed and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 6 cubes)
- 2 Tbsp. slivered almonds
- 3 tsp. sherry vinegar
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¾ tsp. piment d'Espelette (optional)
- 3 large bunches of scallions, trimmed
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Remove seeds and stem from the chile and place it in a dish covered with hot water. Soak for 30 minutes.
- Put the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange tomatoes and pepper cut side down. Roast for 30-40 minutes, until the vegetables are browned with some charring on the outside. Allow to cool.
- Remove the skins from the tomatoes and peppers and discard. Remove outer layer from the onion.
- Heat a little canola oil in a small pan. Toast the bread cubes until golden on all sides. Transfer to a blender. In same pan, toast the almonds for about 30 seconds. Transfer to the blender.
- Drain the chile and add it to the blender along with the roasted vegetables. Add the vinegar, paprika and Espelette, if using, and blend the mixture until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper and more vinegar if desired.
- To cook the scallions, heat a grill over medium heat. Toss scallions with a little olive oil and season with salt.
- Grill scallions about 4 minutes, turning them halfway through. You want some nice grill marks on them, but not burnt. Wrap them in 2 paper towels and allow to steam for 5 minutes. Unwrap and serve immediately with the romesco sauce.
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