Leeks with romesco
- Side
- 60 minutes plus time for lighting the barbecue
Every year in Catalonia the arrival of calçot season is celebrated with a calçotada festival, where many of these onion-like vegetables are barbecued and consumed alongside rich romesco sauce. Calçots are not widely available in the UK, so we recommend using leeks instead. Cooked over live fire, their interiors become tender and sweet.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 3 red peppers
- 12 baby leeks
- 100g of almonds
- 100g of hazelnuts
- 3 large tomatoes
- 100g of stale bread, crusts removed
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp of sherry vinegar
- 3 tbsp of lemon juice
- 6 tbsp of olive oil, plus a little extra to finish
- 1 pinch of salt
Method
Light the barbecue. Once it is ready, grill the red peppers until they are charred and black all over. Remove the peppers from the heat
Cover the peppers tightly with cling film and set aside for 10 minutes or so – this will help the skins come off more easily
Wash any dirt or grit off the leeks and grill them on the barbecue until black all over - around 8 minutes. Wrap the leeks in newspaper in bundles of 4 or 5 and set aside for 15 minutes to finish steaming
- 12 baby leeks
Next, toast the almonds and hazelnuts in a dry pan until lightly golden. Remove them from the heat and set aside
Skin the tomatoes by making a cross shape in the bottom of each one then covering with boiling water for a few minutes. Drain the tomatoes, then plunge them into cold water and leave for a minute. The skins should now peel off easily
Peel the skins off the charred peppers and remove the seeds and stems
Place the almonds, hazelnuts, peppers and tomatoes in a blender with the remaining ingredients and a pinch of salt. Pulse to a coarsely-textured sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary
- 100g of stale bread, crusts removed
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp of sherry vinegar
- 3 tbsp of lemon juice
- 6 tbsp of olive oil, plus a little extra to finish
- 1 pinch of salt
Serve the charred leeks with the sauce on the side
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