I put lamb shoulder in the oven and made romesco sauce, which is a no-nonsense mixture of roasted tomatoes and cold vinegar. I cooked a pound of tomatoes with two garlic cloves for about 20 minutes, peeled the skins, then put them in a food processor with half a cup of roasted almonds. Since there was no way to get the Catalan ñora peppers without going online, I used pimentón dulce, though sweet paprika could also work. I processed the mixture with four tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of red vinegar. Traditionally it is eaten with fish or vegetables, I think, and since it comes from Tarragona, which was a major Roman city on the Iberian coast, it gives me the impression, whether or not it’s true, that you can trace a direct lineage to the fish sauces they’ve been using for two thousand years. It goes well with lamb, however, and it’s also good scooped up on slices of bread. I am tempted to turn it into ice cream.
(Photo: Ribes de Freser, Catalonia. Recipe is from The Food of Spain by Claudia Roden.)
365 Days of Food 