Running back to my favorite Spice Tribe single origin spice, I decided to make a recipe using their smoked Spanish paprika and inspired by one of my favorite dipping sauces, romesco. Traditionally, this Spanish sauce is made from charred tomatoes and red peppers and thickened with either nuts or bread and seasoned with aromatics. I wanted to make my take on it by omitting the tomatoes, smoking the red bell peppers, and using some pantry staples that I had on hand.

Lately, I’ve been having fun with experimenting with recipes by avoiding too much grocery shopping, so this has been fun. And by being able to make this recipe with the help of my Spice Tribe partnership, it was nice knowing that I’d be able to make something delicious and flavorful using their spices. This sauce is great solo for dipping, especially on a veggie tray but I decided to toss it with some hot pasta to make a full dinner with it. If you decide to go the pasta route, it’s delicious hot or cold. Please keep in mind that if you or someone you’re serving has a nut allergy, substitute toasted bread chunks for the nuts to avoid a severe reaction. Also, if you don’t have a smoker, totally cool! I share some instructions in the recipe on what to do to get a similar flavor. Otherwise, stick with the recipe and enjoy the smoky, salty, savory goodness. Let’s get cooking!

Romesco Pasta Salad

Cook time: 1 hour

Serves: 4-6

4 large red bell peppers, whole

5 garlic cloves, whole

1 large yellow onion, quartered

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup unsalted roasted almonds

Prepped roasted peppers, de-seeded and skin removed

Prepped garlic cloves

Prepped onion

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp Spice Tribe Wild Black Cumin Seeds (ground or crushed to your liking)

1 tsp Spice Tribe Pimentón de la Vera

Large pinch kosher salt

1 large lemon, juiced

Liquid smoke seasoning (use this to your liking if you don’t have a smoker)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Cilantro, roughly chopped for garnish

If you have a smoker, follow the manufacturer instructions to preheat at 400ºF. If not, preheat your oven at 400ºF. Place the red bell peppers, garlic cloves, and yellow onion on a sheet pan or cast iron skillet and toss together with the extra virgin olive oil. Smoke or roast the vegetables for at least 30-45 minutes. The peppers should be softened and slightly charred, the garlic golden brown and onions crisped.

Once the peppers are charred and the garlic cloves are golden brown, remove the veggies from the smoker or oven to cool. Set aside the garlic cloves and onions. Place the softened red bell peppers in a mixing bowl and tightly cover with plastic wrap, foil, or a plate to steam for at least 10 minutes, this will let you peel and de-seed the pepper.

When the peppers are cool enough to handle, gently peel and remove the skin and the seeds. Discard the skin and seeds and place the peppers themselves in a separate bowl with the liquid released from them. If you have a few seeds that don’t get removed, that’s totally fine. No worries!

To make the sauce, in a high-speed food processor, pulse the roasted almonds until they resemble a chunky and broken down. Then, add the roasted bell peppers and their liquid, the garlic, and yellow onion. Turn the processor on run until everything is a saucy paste, similar to a pesto. The moisture and liquid from the peppers will help further break down the almonds here.

Then, season with the dried oregano, ground cumin, and the smoked paprika. Add a large pinch of kosher salt and the lemon juice. If you didn’t smoke the peppers, here is when you’ll add the liquid smoke seasoning. And if you did smoke them, add a little bit for an extra smoky kick to your liking. Run the processor again to combine everything and while it’s running, slowly pour in the extra virgin olive oil.

Taste and adjust the salt to your liking. Serve the sauce with vegetables for dipping or combine with a hot, cooked pasta (according to package directions) for a fun pasta salad! You can enjoy this hot or cold. I ate my bowl warm after shooting photos but the leftovers were even better the next day after they hung out in the fridge!

¡Buen provecho!