Roasted Romesco Pasta
For those of you who haven’t had it before, Romesco is a rich Spanish sauce made using charred tomatoes and roasted red peppers - puréed and thickened with toasted almonds and bread.
The flavours of this dish are further sharpened with the addition of raw garlic, vinegar and smoked paprika. What you are left with is this stunning and powerful sauce which is going to be the perfect partner for any kind of pasta. Enjoy!
Serves
Ingredients
For the Romesco sauce
<item-todo-done>4 red peppers<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>4 banana shallots<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 bulb of garlic<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>250g cherry tomatoes<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 tsp smoked paprika<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tsp sugar<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>120g almonds<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 tbsp sherry vinegar<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> Salt & pepper<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>500g pasta<item-todo-done>
To serve
<item-todo-done> plant-based parmesan<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> roasted almonds<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> rocket<item-todo-done>
Before you start
Oven preheated to 180 degrees | Food processor or high speed blender
For the Romesco sauce
- First prep the red peppers, trim the stalk, remove the seeds and roughly chop.
- Peel and roughly chop the shallots.
- Cut the garlic bulb in half to release the cloves.
- Transfer the prepped veg and cherry tomatoes into a large roasting tray, sprinkle with the paprika, sugar and salt.
- Transfer to the oven and roast for 25 minutes, or until soft.
- Pop the almonds onto a second roasting tray, and roast for 10 minutes, until the nutty aromas are released.
Finish your sauce
- When the vegetables are soft, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from the bulb.
- Transfer to a food processor, add the almonds (reserving a handful for garnish if you want), and blend until you have a smooth sauce.
Cook the pasta and serve
- Cook the pasta according to instructions on the packet.
- Drain the pasta and return back to the pot, smother pasta with your sauce, give it a good mix so that each piece is coated.
- Season with salt and pepper, chop your reserved roasted almonds and sprinkle over your pasta, finish with the parmesan and rocket.