Asparagus with Romesco

Summer is made for grilled veggies and this classic Catalan sauce

Spring Asparagus with my Romesco Sauce

Romesco is one of the greatest sauces in the world. A true Catalan classic, it began as a humble fish stew made by fisherman called Romesco de Peix, and evolved from there into a boldly seasoned sauce made from a blend of almonds, garlic, olive oil, tomato, bread crumbs, and Spain’s ñora dried peppers—the defining element. Ñora peppers may not be available at your local grocery store, but they can be easily ordered online. That said, you could make the sauce using any other sweet pepper. But for a true taste of Spain, I recommend using ñora peppers.

These simple ingredients become something astonishing once you roast the vegetables, toast the almonds, fry the bread, and blend everything together for a deep, smoky-sweet flavor.

Romesco and grilled vegetables are a classic combination in Catalonia, where the sauce is used as a dip for the prized onions called calçots. If you’re not familiar with them, they look like oversized spring onions with a large white stalk. They are so beloved there’s even a spring festival, the calçotada, to celebrate their arrival.

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Prized calçots are so delicious they get their own spring festival

Romesco is also a perfect match for meats and seafood—I love it with plump seared scallops. But in spring, there is no doubt that my table at home is filled with tender stalks of asparagus from the farmers’ market, simply grilled and topped with plenty of Romesco.

To make it a little more special, garnish the grilled asparagus with some ribbons of shaved raw asparagus, chopped or ground almonds, and a drizzle of Spanish olive oil. 

This recipe makes about two cups of sauce, much more than you’ll need for the asparagus, but it keeps well in the fridge for about five days, and honestly, it won’t last that long. You can (and should) put it on everything—slathered on sandwiches, as a dip for other vegetables, smeared on grilled bread, or as a sauce for roasted meats.

Preparing the peppers, tomatoes, onions, and almonds for the Romesco.

Espárragos Trigueros con Romesco

Grilled green asparagus with Romesco sauce 

Serves 4 to 6

3/4 cup Spanish extra-virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper
6 ripe plum tomatoes, cored
1 head garlic, halved crosswise and papery outer skin removed
1 medium yellow onion
3 ñora chili peppers (or any other dried sweet chili pepper)
1/4 cup blanched whole almonds
3 slices white sandwich bread, crust removed and torn into small pieces
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, preferably Spanish
1 teaspoon pimentón (Spanish paprika)
Kosher salt
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed

2 tablespoons chopped Marcona almonds

Preheat the oven to 350°. 

Brush a thin film of olive oil over the pepper, tomatoes, garlic, and onion and lay them in a roasting pan. Roast the vegetables, turning as needed, until soft, 45-55 minutes. Remove from the oven and once cool enough to handle, peel the pepper, tomatoes, garlic, and onion. Remove the stem and seeds from the pepper.

Meanwhile, place the ñora peppers (or whatever peppers you are using) in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 15 minutes until the peppers have softened. Strain, reserving a few tablespoons of the soaking liquid, and remove the seeds from the peppers. Place the peppers in a blender, add a couple tablespoons of the soaking liquid, and purée until smooth. Pass the purée through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Use the back of a wooden spoon to press on the sieve to get all of the puree through the sieve.  Set the puree aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil a small sauté pan over low heat. Add the almonds and sauté them until golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the almonds to a bowl and set aside.  

Raise the heat to medium and add another tablespoon of olive oil to the same saute pan. Add the bread and toast, stirring the pieces until golden brown on all sides, about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the bread and set aside.  

While the saute pan is still over medium heat, add the pureed ñora peppers and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then remove the pan from the heat. 

Place the roasted vegetables in a blender or food processor and add the blanched almonds, toasted bread, pureed ñora peppers, pimentón, 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 7 tablespoons of oil. Blend until it forms a thick sauce, and season to taste with salt. Spoon the romesco sauce into a bowl.

Heat up a grill, preferably gas, or preheat a grill pan. 

With a vegetable peeler, shave 2 to 3 stalks of asparagus into ribbons. In a small bowl, toss shaved asparagus with remaining tablespoon vinegar and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt to taste.

Toss the rest of the asparagus with the remaining olive oil to lightly coat and season with salt. When the grill (or grill pan) is hot, lay the asparagus stalks across the grates and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly charred. Roll the asparagus over and continue to cook for 2 more minutes. 

Generously spoon the romesco onto a plate and top with grilled asparagus. (Store any remaining romesco in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap.) Place the shaved asparagus over the top and sprinkle with chopped Marcona almonds.

Credits

Asparagus with Romesco photo by Jill Paider

Romesco ingredient photograph by Francesc Guillamet, from Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America (Clarkson Potter).