Quick Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (Romesco suace)

By DreiFromBK

Wanting to create a simple sauce that would provide a boost of flavor and richness to quick-cooking chicken breast cutlets, we found inspiration in the classic Spanish sauce romesco. We started with a base of oil-toasted bread and nuts, which added richness and texture. To keep things simple, we then added a combination of boldly flavored jarred and no-cook ingredients to build up the sauce. A final addition of herbs and spices created a complex flavored sauce that could be made in about 5 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1/2 half slice hearty white sandwich bread, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skinned
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 1 cup jarred roasted red peppers, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• pinch cayenne pepper

Preparation

Step 1

Makes about 1 cup

You will need at least a 12-ounce jar of roasted red peppers for this recipe.

Heat hazelnuts, and 1 tablespoons oil in 12-inch skillet over medium high heat; cook, stirring constantly, until bread and hazelnuts are lightly toasted, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer bread mixture to food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, about 5 pulses. Add red peppers, vinegar, honey, paprika, salt, cayenne and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to processor. Pulse until finely chopped, 5 to 8 pulses. Transfer to bowl and let stand for at least 10 minutes. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)