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Fettuccine with Sweet Pepper-Cayenne Sauce Recipe

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Sweet red bell peppers are sauteed with garlic and spicy cayenne pepper, then simmered with sour cream and chicken broth to make a hot and luscious pasta sauce. Finish with Parmesan cheese and toss with cooked pasta.

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A meal in a bowl for Italaphiles, this soup will arouse hibernating appetites with its aroma of caramelized garlic.

2 whole heads garlic

1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt , plus more to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper , plus more to taste

1/2 loaf unsliced whole wheat bread , cut into 1-inch cubes

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil , plus more for drizzling

1 large onion , chopped (about 2 cups)

2 carrots , peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch coins

2 stalks celery , cut into 1/4-inch slices

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) white beans , drained, rinsed and drained again

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 400°. Slice off tops of garlic heads so the cloves are just exposed. Rub each head with 1 teaspoon olive oil; wrap loosely in foil. Roast 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven (but leave oven on); let garlic cool until comfortable to touch. Squeeze cloves from the heads into a small bowl; mash with a fork; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine half the roasted garlic with 1/4 cup olive oil, salt and pepper. Add bread and toss until well coated. Place bread on a baking sheet and bake 20 minutes, turning once or twice, until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.

To make soup: In a large saucepan, heat butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and celery and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth and remaining half of garlic and bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook 20 minutes, until carrots are very tender. Add drained beans and rosemary; cook 10 more minutes. With an immersion blender or in a food processor fitted with knife blade, puree half the soup until smooth. Stir to combine. Serve in bowls topped with croutons and drizzled with remaining olive oil.

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White Bean and Rosemary Soup with Roasted Garlic Croutons

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A meal in a bowl for Italaphiles, this soup will arouse hibernating appetites with its aroma of caramelized garlic.

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Bay Laurel Panna Cotta Recipe - Bon Appétit Recipe

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Lena is a foodie and home cook from the SF Bay Area with a passion for Spanish flavors and traditional cooking with a modern touch!

What is Romesco?

This is a popular Spanish sauce made with red peppers and nuts. It is often thickened with stale bread, similar to traditional gazpacho, as well as the classic Spanish ingredients of garlic, sherry vinegar, tomatoes, and olive oil. Sometimes, you'll see a romesco recipe with onions, fennel, or mint, but it depends on the chef and the dish it's going in.

Romesco sauce is often served with fish or seafood, but it goes really well with poultry and even lamb, as well. I like to put it on crispy roasted vegetables, like cauliflower, like Oakland restaurant Bocanova used to do. They've since moved on to a cauliflower gratin, which is also delicious, but I miss the old dish, so I make my own version at home.

Where Does It Come From?

Tarragona, Catalonia -

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The birthplace of authentic romesco sauce in Spain.

Valencia, Spain -

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The native region of the nora chile used in salsa romesco.

Nora Peppers

What makes salsa romesco so special are authentic ñora peppers, which are native to the region around Valencia in Spain. They are also a popular ingredient in paella, and are considered vital to Valencian cooking.

Other names for these red chiles are "nyoras" or "nyores," "pimiento choricero," or simply the "paprika pepper," since 80% of ñoras are used for dried paprika. They have a vivid red color and a sweet, mild flavor that makes them very versatile; you'll find them in everything from traditional Spanish chorizo to crab croquetas to patatas bravas.

In the United States, you can buy these peppers dried, either at specialty stores or online. If you cannot find them in your area, cascabel chiles are a good substitute, or any other mild dry chili pepper that you can get your hands on.

Cast your vote for Easy Romesco Sauce

Ingredients

2 medium tomatoes

2 red bell peppers

6 cloves garlic

1/2 onion

1/3 cup olive oil, divided

2 dried nora peppers

1/2 cup blanched almonds

1 slice stale bread

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp sherry vinegar

salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes and bell peppers in half and remove the core. Peel the onion and cut it into 4 chunks. Peel the garlic cloves, but leave them whole.

2. Pour a few tablespoons of your olive oil into a baking dish or jelly roll pan, toss the ingredients to coat, sprinkle everything with salt, then bake 20 minutes, before removing the garlic cloves and turning the other ingredients oven. Roast an additional 20-30 minutes, until veggies just begin to blacken. Remove to cool and turn off the oven.

3. While the vegetables roast, heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet on the stove top. Cut your dried peppers into smaller pieces and add to the hot oil, frying for 30-60 seconds.

4. Remove the chiles from the oil with a slotted spoon and put the almonds in. Tear or cut your bread into 1/2-inch pieces and add that to the oil as well, along with your red pepper flakes (use more for a spicier sauce). Cook 2-3 minutes, until bread is golden brown. Remove from the heat and return the chile pieces to the mixture.

5. Once everything is cool enough to handle, add them to the food processor and puree everything until it is uniformly mixed. It will be a little chunky; that's what you want. Adjust the salt to taste.

6. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for a few days in an airtight container.

Variations

I mentioned earlier that you can use any dried mild red chile if you can't find ñoras, but there are other easy subsitutions you can make as well:

Romesco with Hazelnuts

Replace half of the almonds in the recipe above for hazelnuts, which are also traditional.

No Onion or Less Garlic

You can omit the onion or use fewer garlic cloves without causing any real issues in the final consistency. If you find the salsa to be too thick, just add a little water.

Use Canned Peppers

Instead of roasting your own bell peppers, it is perfectly acceptable to use a drained jar of piquillo peppers or another roasted sweet red pepper.

Use Canned Tomatoes

1/2 cup of canned tomatoes can be substituted for fresh, roasted ones.

Learn More About Using Dried Chiles

How to Store & Serving Ideas

This red pepper sauce can be used in all kinds of dishes, so I often make a batch at the beginning of the week, before I even know what I'm going to eat it with. In fact, like many Spanish sauces, I think it tastes better after the first day-all the ingredients have a chance to steep and blend, creating a deeper, fuller flavor profile.

How Should I Store It?

Romesco will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two weeks (longer, if it's in the back of the refrigerator, which stays colder). I keep a jar around that perfectly fits one batch, as you can see above. You can also freeze it for up to three months.

What Is Romesco Used For?

Grilled snapper

Sautéed halibut

Baked sea bass

Skirt steak

Barbecued beef skewers

Lamb cutlets

Pork chops

Seared cauliflower "steak"

Roasted potatoes

Grilled broccolini

In cold broccoli salad

With zucchini "fries"

On pasta

As a pizza sauce

Share your own dish ideas in the comments below!

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Lena is a foodie and home cook from the SF Bay Area with a passion for Spanish flavors and traditional cooking with a modern touch! This is a popular Spanish sauce made with red peppers and nuts. It is often thickened with stale bread, similar to traditional gazpacho, as well as the classic Spanish ingredients of garlic, sherry vinegar, tomatoes, and olive oil.

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When creating a Rosh Hashanah menu, I'm always thinking about balance. We eat so many sweet foods to celebrate the Jewish New Year, which is a wonderful tradition- but it can also be overwhelming. Honey, apples, tzimmes, cake, kugel... it's a lot of sweetness.

That's why I love serving saffron rice as a Rosh Hoshanah side dish. The subtle, savory saffron flavor compliments all the sweet, rich flavors of the Rosh Hashanah holiday. It tastes buttery, even though it's dairy free. It's super easy to make for a large crowd, and takes less than 45 minutes from start to finish. It's also very pretty and festive.

When my friend Farah taught me some of her family's Persian Jewish recipes last year, she gave me a tip that helps to open up the flavor of the saffron spice. She suggested soaking the spice in hot water for a few minutes before adding it to the dish. I now do this when I make saffron rice, and it makes a big difference on flavor. The rice becomes rich with saffron flavor and aroma.

Here are three more important tips:

#1: Invest in good quality saffron. I say invest, because saffron can be very pricey. You only use a small amount, but you also get a very small amount in most bottles. If a bottle of saffron threads costs less than $10, it's probably not worth buying. I don't recommend the bag full of saffron that costs $5... it's not the stuff you want, and it won't give you the flavor you need.

#2: Don't omit the salt ... the combination of salt, saffron, and caramelized onions gives this rice a rice, buttery flavor. You won't believe there's no dairy when you taste it!

#3: Buy white basmati rice; don't substitute long grain rice or brown rice. The flavor and texture won't be the same.

If you'd like to make this dish pareve or vegan, you can use water in the place of chicken stock. I prefer the chicken stock because it adds a lot of flavor to the rice. If you do use water, add an extra pinch of salt to make up for the salt in the chicken stock.

We eat saffron rice all year round, particularly during the winter months, because it's both healthy and cozy- it's the kind of comfort food that is good for you. It's also gluten free if you use a certified GF chicken stock. Enjoy!!
Mortar and Pestle Wooden Spoon

1. Take one pinch of saffron threads and put them in a spice mortar. Grind the spice with a pestle to a powdery consistency.

2. Add a second pinch of saffron threads to the mortar. Do not crush these threads.

3. Meanwhile, sort your basmati rice and rinse in a colander. Drain.

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Saffron Rice - A Fragrant Savory Side Dish

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When creating a Rosh Hashanah menu, I'm always thinking about balance. We eat so many sweet foods to celebrate the Jewish New Year, which is a wonderful tradition- but it can also be overwhelming. Honey, apples, tzimmes, cake, kugel... it's a lot of sweetness.