The recipe for this week comes from a strong tradition that originated in the village of Valls, in Tarragona. It could only be the well–known “calçots” (green onions). Besides the classic roasted vegetables, we take a look at this wonderful sauce whose mixture of vegetables and nuts gives it an intense flavor. It is a perfect combination not only with this type of onion, but with roasted vegetables or grilled meat. We‘re talking about romescu sauce, obviously.
romescu sauce: Catalan tradition on your table in just two simple steps
Easy and quick to prepare -although the residents of Valls keep the secret of the original recipe with logical zeal. To prepare this sauce you only need:
- 4 roasted tomatoes
- A head of roasted garlic
- A slice of toasted bread
- 5g toasted almonds
- 5g hazelnuts
- Ibizan olive oil (a good way to prepare new recipes is to always use local produce)
- Pepper and salt.
Once you have the ingredients ready (and the correct proportions according to the quantity you want to obtain), you only have to follow two simple steps:
1 First, place all the ingredients in a bowl.
2 Then whisk until you have a homogeneous sauce to your taste.
Once the sauce is ready, and with the calçots previously roasted, all that remains is to pour the sauce, open your mouth and enjoy the Catalan tradition. A great accompaniment to vegetables with a good piece of sobrasada or butifarró, or grilled lamb chops, for example.
One of the best parts of making a calçotada is sharing a day with friends and/or family and enjoying the pleasure of eating in company, with or without gloves, but always with the same art that tradition demands: take the calçot with your hand, dip it, open your mouth and savour the delicious mixture. Be careful not to get too greasy.