Thursday, March 19, 2009

Cauliflower in Romesco Sauce

I really do believe in this sometimes...




Especially when I'm feeling lazy and yet I want to eat something fancy :) The sauce described here fits the bill perfectly as very little effort is required to make it. Check this out:


Ingredients

1/2 large tomato, diced,
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 slice of bread, sides removed
5 almonds
1 small red bell pepper, cubed and deseeded
1 jalapeno pepper
salt to taste
powdered black peppercorn to taste (about 1.5 tsp for us)
2 tbsp olive oil
water to adjust consistency

5-6 cauliflower florets which the sauce will eventually adorn

Did you see that list? Here's what I love about it:

a) No need to chop onions!
b) No need to go through your pantry for 10 different and exotic herbs
c) There is no cream or cheese involved here

Here's the procedure to make this sauce:

1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan on high heat. Add the bell peppers when hot, stir to partially sear them.

2. Add everything else and bring the heat to medium-high.

3. Cool and puree in a blender.

4. Blanch the cauliflower in boiling water for 5 mins. Toss it in a pan with some olive oil, sear it and pour the sauce at medium heat.

As far as the sauce goes, just 3 steps...as easy as A...B...C! You could omit garlic if you want and you could make this into a dip by reducing the amount of water you add. We had this with some seared cauliflowers, but you could easily serve this with pasta. You could reduce the amount of water to make it into a dip. We modified a food network recipe because we were feeling lazy to all the things they asked :P

The taste was amazing! The smokiness of the bell pepper, the heat from the jalapeno and black pepper were greatly complemented by the slight richness from the almonds. The tomatoes and the bread brought the sauce together by giving it a great consistency. Also, since the only real 'spice' used in this sauce is good ol' black peppercorn, we are sending this versatile Romesco to Think Spice Think Pepper hosted by Divya Vikram and conceptualized by Sunita. But ultimately, this dish goes to Homie...Here's to you Homer!

36 comments:

amna said...

hahaha love the cartoon, but I feel the daring bakers won't agree! :D

never heard of romesco sauce before, looks yummy though!

Jayashree said...

Totally agree with what the cartoon says :-)) The sauce looks delicious...

Raaga said...

appeals to lazy me. :) I had roma sauce a couple of times... romesco is new... but sounds great :)

delhibelle said...

Yay for simple ingredients adding up to a fancy sounding, rich looking sauce:)

SJ said...

I believe in that thought all the times :D Its a miracle how I got so far!!! Never heard of this dish, looks good.

suvi said...

romesco sauce...i love the name!

Donna-FFW said...

This certainly does look elegant! I so love cauliflower. It is the perfect side dish and so pretty. Come and stop by my blog to enter my first giveaway..

Sia said...

LOL. I am a huge fan of Simpsons, especially Homer. well, wait i love marge too. and yes, lisa and bart ;) Ok i will stop now.
and that sauce looks yum!

FH said...

Beautiful color! Love the simplicity too! :)

For me, if it's hard, it is damn worth trying and it better taste good too after all the hard work! :D

sra had an event called "no grind gravies" and round up has whole lot of easy gravies there, check out! :)

Chitra said...

LOL,agree with the cartoon..looks perfect and inviting!!

Ranjani said...

OMG, I have Homer moments ALL the time! the sauce sounds interesting!

Elyse said...

A smoky, flavorful sauce in just minutes?! I'm all for it. Sign me up right now. This sounds amazing, looks delicious, and I want to make it for myself ASAP!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

An amazing dish! I've never eaten Romesco sauce, but I'm sure it tastes wonderful!

Cheers,

Rosa

Anonymous said...

U guys are funny. NEver heard of that sauce, but whatever it is called it looks really delish, esp with cauliflower in it i could have anytime. we had gobi yesterday. I should try making this... we have cauliflower so often that i run out of ideas.

Archy said...

This is creative.. sound and looks unique.. shall try on a lazy day !!
Nice entry !!

Cham said...

LOL :) Perfect recipe for friday night!

NKP said...

It's great to have a few delicious quickies in one's repertoire - sounds tasty!

AnuSriram said...

Yes its indeed very easy to make! Looks lovely! Will surely try it... I'm equally lazy like u! :D

veggievixen said...

wow, simple and delicious!

Bianca said...

Cauliflower and tomato-based sauces are the best combo ever!

Manju said...

never heard of this sauce before..but this is defenitely perfect to make on a lazy day and all the rainy days are lazy days for me..so being in seattle 80% of my days are so! :D

Varsha Vipins said...

Thats a cute sauce..hehe..n healthy quick dish..
Love the cartoon,esply when now am stuck up wit my impossible adamant feeds,my new posts never reach readers,but should I give up?? :((

Bharti said...

I love onions, I really do. But there are days when I want nothing to do with them! This sauce looks perfect for days like that.

Anonymous said...

oooh... lovely recipe... and I love that its so simple.. perfect for a lazy day :)

Deepthi Shankar said...

wow that sounds sooper easy

test it comm said...

This cauliflower in romesco sauce sounds tasty!

Unknown said...

Modified?but looks inovative and delicious :))))Easy too :)

Deepa Hari said...

Sauce looks simple and easy....romesco sauce is new to me...Good one.

Priya Sriram said...

Looks easy and very delicious! Wish I had a chapathi in hand to have with this gravy! :)

Elle said...

Ah, but sometimes it's just easier to do it the hard way...or so my son told me after watching his siter :)
Great looking sauce...lost of flavor.

Dibs said...

wow - looks yummy. I hate cutting onions too - so this is the perfect recipe for me!

A_and_N said...

@ Nags: Very true. But again, daring bakers are not people...they're super-humans :)

@ Jayashree: Thanks :)

@ Raaga and DelhiBelle: Thanks :) I'd certainly recommend it.

@ SJ: lol :) Welcome to my world!

@ Aquadaze: Doesnt it? Fancy and easy :)

@ Donna: I have checked out the post. Will send in something :) Cant miss a giveaway!

@ Sia: Lets see who posts a Simpsons and food related post first :) They're me FAV!

@ Asha: Hehe....but sometimes when an engine runs too hard...it needs to cool down a bit :) Thanks for the info on the gravies...will check 'em out :)

@ Chitra: Thanks :)

@ Ranjani: I vicariously identify myself with Homer many times :)

@ Elyse: Yes, I'd strongly recommend trying it at least once :) Thanks :)

@ Rosa: Thanks Rosa!

@ Soma: Thanks :) Cauliflower is one of my favorites and I am trying to convert N into liking it too :)

@ Cham: Aah...so Fridays are the lazy nights for you :)

@ Natashya: Very true! You never know when it might come in handy :)

@ Anu Sriram and Veggie Vixen: Thanks a ton :) I'd recommend trying it.

@ Bianca: Arent they? I totally agree!

@ Superchef: LOL :)

@ Archy: You can make any day a lazy day if you want :)

@ Varsha: Aww come on.....there is no way you're giving up!! I am sure you'll work something out :)

@ Bharti: I couldnt have said it any better :)

@ Indhu, Deesha and Kevin: Thanks a lot guys :)

@ Ramya Bala: It is easy...thanks :)

@ Deepa Hari and Priya Sriram: Thanks a ton :)

@ Elle: Having fun at someone else's expense is a forte of mine too :)

@ Dibs: lol...thanks :)

Laavanya said...

That's super quick and i love how it's thick and hugs the cauliflower so well :)

Usha said...

Looks quick and yum ! Perfect for me :-)

Tami said...

First time I've been to your blog. This looks delicious.

Your photos all look wonderful!

Kathlyn said...

How come when I click on a recipe that looks delicious, I get sent right to you? Can't wait to try this!