Romesco Sauce
- 1 whole head fresh garlic
- 2 red bell peppers, halved and seeds removed
- 2 whole Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
- 1⁄2 cup blanched almonds
- 1⁄2 cup aged sherry vinegar
- 1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Shrimp
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups fresh greens (such as arugula, mustard, young kale or spinach)
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Cut 1⁄4 inch of top of garlic head. Place on a small square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap loosely in the foil. Bake for about 45 minutes or until garlic is tender. Set aside to cool, then squeeze out roasted garlic.
2. Preheat oven to broil and raise the oven rack to the highest level. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and top with prepared peppers and tomatoes. Broil until all pieces are evenly charred. Remove from oven and place peppers in a sealed container for 10 minutes, then remove skin. Set aside tomatoes to cool.
3. Place roasted garlic, skinned peppers, roasted tomatoes, almonds, vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and cayenne in a blender. Purée until smooth; set aside.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan. Cook shrimp 1 to 2 minutes per side or until fully pink in color. Toss cooked shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 cup of the prepared romesco sauce; set aside.
5. Reheat the same sauté pan. Cook greens, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper in pan until greens are wilted, 1–2 minutes. Place greens on 4 serving plates and top each with 6 shrimp. Drizzle with extra sauce, if desired. Remaining sauce can be tossed with hot or cold pasta or served with grilled chicken, fish, pork or beef.
Yield: 2 3⁄4 cups romesco sauce and 24 shrimp to serve 6 with extra sauce.
Chef Brandon Johns, Grange Kitchen and Bar, Ann Arbor
This piece was originally published in Edible WOW’s Summer 2012 edition and written by Pam Aughe, R.D.. Contact [email protected] for more information.