Roasted tomatoes and red bell peppers blended and thickened with almonds and seasoned with two kinds of paprika, parsley, fresh garlic and finished off with lemon juice, red wine vinegar and olive oil! It’s amazing all by itself, but also the perfect complement to grilled fish.
Servings 1Quart
Prep Time 15 minutesmins
Cook Time 20 minutesmins
Ingredients
1large1 large orange bell pepperstem and seeds removed, then quartered
2largetomatoes, quarteredor about 25 cherry tomatoes
2tbsp. olive oil
1/2cupslivered almonds, toasted to golden browncan buy these pre-toasted at Trader Joe’s
1/4cup parsley leaves, stems removed
2smallcloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2tsp. salt
1/2tsp. Spanish paprika(also called smoked paprika)
1/2tsp. sweet paprika(the kind you find in the spice section)
1tsp. fresh lemon juice
2tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/4cupextra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat or the oven to 400° F. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray. We like to use an aluminum pan so we can use it right on the barbecue. But, you can also use a glass, metal or ceramic baking dish if you plan to roast your veggies in the oven.
Place the tomatoes and peppers in the prepared pan and toss them in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Place the pan directly on the grill and cook the veggies for about 5 minutes per side. Flip them with a spatula halfway through. They should be slightly charred and softened. (See image nearby.) In the oven, it will take longer to get the veggies roasted and charred, maybe 15 minutes or so. Remove the veggies from the heat once they are softened and charred.
Place the almonds in the food processor and process until finely ground. Add the spices and parsley and continue to process for another 30 seconds of so, until the parsley is fine. Next add the garlic, roasted tomatoes and peppers, along with any pan juices, and process until smooth-ish. The sauce won’t be completely smooth due to the almonds. Add the lemon juice, red wine vinegar and olive oil and process again. Serve right away or store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Notes
We love this sauce just as it is with the roasted veggies and spices, but if you tend to like your sauces a bit hotter, you can always add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of New Mexico chili powder!🌶