Romesco Sauce � Cold Sauce Monte Rushmore for Sure

It�s not unusual for me to get requests for recipes I�ve already done before, but over the last few years, I seemed to be getting an abnormal number of requests for romesco sauce. Knowing I had already filmed it, I�d reply with something polite, like what don�t you understand about using Google?

Well, I�d like to apologize to all those people I blew off, since while it�s true I posted a video for romesco, it was actually many years ago, on About.com, which has ceased to exist. In fairness, I�ve done over 1,800 videos, as well as lived over 54 years, so hopefully a little recipe related forgetfulness would be forgiven.

Anyway, it was high time to update this Spanish classic, since it�s one of the all-time great summer sauces. It�s pretty much perfect with anything off the grill, especially vegetables and seafood, and that�s how we usually enjoy this, but there�re so many other places where this can shine. It makes for an unbelievable sandwich spread, as well as perfect �secret ingredient� for your favorite potato or pasta salad dressings.

Like most sauces and condiments, this begs for personalization; whether we�re talking the level of heat, or ratio between the ingredients, or how smooth or course you grind it, you shouldn�t hesitate to adapt this to your tastes. But, no matter how you tweak this, or what you serve with it, I really do hope you make some soon, and then keep making it all summer. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 3 cups:

3 large red bell peppers, fire-roasted, seeded, and peeled

1/2 cup olive oil

8 cloves peeled garlic

1 cup cubed stale bread

3/4 cup roasted almonds

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste