Although this recipe calls for fresh red bell peppers, feel free to substitute the ones that come on a jar. They keep it simple, and allow you to enjoy this wonderful sauce now. You can use whole canned tomatoes, although I have gone ahead and made the recipe without tomatoes. Instead I put in a dollop of tomato paste and added more oil. It tastes different, but still excellent.
INGREDIENTS:
¾ cup olive oil 1 slice “white” bread (French, ciabatta, francese) 1” thick, approx 1 oz. ½ cup roasted almonds, broken up with bottom of a pan 2 medium cloves garlic, minced 2 medium red bell peppers (or pimentos, or corno de toro) roasted, peeled, seeded, deribbed and sliced 1 large ripe tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped 1 –2 teaspoon paprika or smoked Spanish paprika (preferred) ¼ cup red wine vinegar, or as needed to balance Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
METHOD:
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Fry the bread until golden on both sides, turning once (2 minutes per side). When cool enough to handle, break up and add to food processor fitted with blade. Add almonds and garlic, and pulse to break up. Add pepper, tomato, paprika, salt and pepper, and puree to form a slightly chunky paste. Stream in vinegar. With motor running, stream in oil until emulsified. Taste for balance and adjust with oil or vinegar if needed. Transfer to jars and it is ready. It will keep in the refrigerator for at least a week.
Chef’s Notes:
I use this on fish, crostini, grilled chicken, and sandwiches. In Portugal it is traditional with “calcotes”(cal-zotes), which are a type of grilled spring onions. If using for calcotes, add a little more water so the sauce is a little runny.
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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