A good sauce is a cook’s magic wand. It’s a trick up the sleeve, so to speak, for jazzing up all sorts of meat, fish, poultry, and vegetables, while also multitasking as a spread for sandwiches or a dollop for eggs, rice, and even soups. And it’s a definite keeper when it can be plunked into a bowl and called a dip, to boot. Romesco sauce is one such sauce.
Romesco is a smoky Catalonian tomato sauce, hailing from Tarragona, Spain. It’s a blend of roasted tomatoes and garlic, dried chile pepper, almonds, olive oil, and sherry vinegar, often thickened with bread. As homemade traditions go, there are variations from cook to cook, but the bottom line is it’s a chunky, fruity, piquant sauce with just a hint of heat that checks all the boxes listed above.
