Ease of Preparation: Easy
Yield: 4 servings
Chef Siobhan Detkavich is cooking for… Aries! So… what does a Fire Sign with a ruling planet of Mars eat? How about starting off with a fire-sign friendly, aphrodisiac-loaded, spicy tapa of rustic Romesco and grilled Chorizo sausage? Serve this alongside some sherry, Manchego cheese and figs for a party!
Ingredients:
Romesco:
- 6 banana peppers, such as Anaheim or Hungarian wax
- 3 red bell peppers
- 4 Roma tomatoes, halved
- 1 leek, halved and cleaned, cut into 2-inch lengths
- Olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) chopped garlic
- ¼ cup (60 ml) red wine
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) sherry vinegar
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) honey
- Salt and pepper
To Serve:
- Vegetable oil, for grilling
- 4 links Chorizo sausages, uncooked
- Crusty bread
- Halved fresh figs, to garnish
- Romesco
- Toasted and chopped hazelnuts, to garnish
- Italian parsley, to garnish
Method:
For the Romesco:
Use a blowtorch or the burner of a gas stove to completely blister the skin of the banana peppers, red bell peppers, and tomatoes. Char the cut side of the leeks until blackened.
Cover the peppers and tomatoes tightly and set aside for 10-15 minutes to steam.
When soft, rub off the skin and remove the seeds from the peppers and tomatoes.
Finely chop the tomatoes, peppers, and leeks, and reserve.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes, until aromatic.
Add the chopped leeks, peppers, tomatoes, red wine, and sherry vinegar
Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes.
Add the honey and season with salt and pepper.
Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture so that it still has some texture.
To Serve:
Preheat a grill or skillet to high heat and preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C).
While the Romesco is simmering, lightly oil the sausages and transfer them to the grill. Sear the sausages until charred on the outside. Transfer the sausages to the oven to finish cooking for 8 minutes.
While the sausages are finishing in the oven, lightly oil the bread and halved figs, and grill until lightly charred.
Place dollops of the Romesco on a plate. Slice 2 inch (5 cm) sections of the sausage on a bias.
Add the sausage and grilled figs over the Romesco. Garnish with hazelnuts and parsley. Add a piece of bread on the plate and serve warm.
You might also like these recipes
