By CHEF HOWARD KARP for the the Flathead Beacon
An alternative to the traditional Argentinean Chimichurri sauce for grilling this summer, this recipe has become my favorite Spanish summer sauce to use for grilled meats, fish and vegetables. I hope you’ll try it next time you fire up the grill.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
INGREDIENTS:
• 2 red bell peppers, halved and seeded
• 2 summer vine ripened tomatoes, halved and seeded
• 1 red onion, peeled and sliced thin
• 8 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and crushed black pepper to taste
• 1 dried ancho chile
• 3/4 cup grape seed oil
• 5 garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup dried bread cubes
• 1/2 cup skinless whole almonds
• 3/4 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1 tsp. pimento
• 4 tsp. red wine vinegar
• 4 tsp. sherry vinegar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small baking pan, toss the bell pepper, tomato and onion with two tablespoons of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread pepper, tomato and onion in one layer, cut side down, and roast until soft and slightly charred. Remove from oven, cover with foil and let stand for 10 minutes.
Soak the ancho chlie in warm water for 10 minutes to soften. In a sauté pan, heat the grape seed oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until golden brown. Remove the garlic and set aside. Add the bread cubes to the pan and fry, stirring often, until golden brown and crisp. Remove from pan and set aside. Finally, add the almonds and fry, stirring often, until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
Peel the pepper and tomatoes and put them into a blender with the onions. Drain the ancho chile, reserving the liquid, seed it, and add to blender. Add the garlic, bread cubes, almonds, sweet paprika, pimento, red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar and the remaining olive oil and pulse until smooth (the consistency should be spreadable). If necessary, thin with ancho liquid. Season with salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate. This sauce only gets better over the next few days!
Baste meat with this sauce while grilling, then spoon the remaining sauce over the cooked meat just before serving. I’ll be interested to hear your feedback. Please email me your comments at chefhmk@gmail.com. Bon Appétit!
Chef Howard Karp is an instructor at The Culinary Institute of Montana at Flathead Valley Community College. For more information about the program, visit the Culinary Institute of Montana’s website.
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