What vegetables go well with romesco?

Romesco is a delicious Spanish dip/sauce which combines roasted red peppers and almonds and other flavorful ingredients. I love it so much that I eat it straight out of the bowl, but it’s also amazing on roasted or grilled vegetables, with grilled or roasted protein, or with crudites. This Romesco recipe comes from my friend Amanda Frederickson, a super talented food blogger and recipe developer. Amanda’s recipe is exactly the way I like it – tangy, a little smoky, textured, and the perfect consistency, not too thick and not too loose. And I haven’t even mentioned how ridiculously easy Romesco sauce is to make. You can make it in seconds. And you can make it all year long using jarred roasted red peppers. It is also the ideal recipe for entertaining or feeding a crowd since it can be multiplied very easily and it can be made in advance. My advice is to make more than you need because everyone will love it and you’ll be dreaming about leftovers!

I have been obsessed with making romesco sauce all summer - it’s a Spanish sauce made with roasted peppers, tomatoes, almonds, bread and smoked paprika - and it’s amazing with steak or roast chicken. But I find it to be particularly delicious with roasted cruciferous vegetables, that’s your broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage and of course cauliflower. There is something about the slight bitterness of this family of vegetables with the sweet sharp sauce that makes both absolutely sing! I have given quantities for the romesco sauce below, but feel free to mix it up a bit, I’ve made it with different nuts and have done it without tomatoes and without bread depending on what I have available. I really recommend using jarred peppers for this - it’s way more affordable and much easier to do. To make the sauce put all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth-ish, its good to have a bit of texture. You are looking for a thick sauce texture – definitely looser than houmous but not as runny as soup. Put the romesco sauce on a large platter, saving a little to garnish. Arrange the cauliflower and onion on top and then sprinkle over the olives, toasted almonds and chopped parsley. This is great as a side to roast chicken or on its own with maybe a green salad and some crusty bread.