Here’s a fantastic recipe for Grilled Baby Leeks with Romesco Sauce.
Grilled Baby Leeks with Romesco Sauce
A Spanish tapas favorite, these simply grilled baby leeks are served up with a fresh tomato-almond Romesco sauce.
Recipe Details
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 335kcal
Ingredients
- 1 small ancho chile, seeded
- ⅓ cup roasted almonds (preferably Marcona, coarsely chopped)
- Two ½-inch thick slices baguette, toasted and torn into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium garlic clove, chopped
- 2 large Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 roasted red pepper from a jar, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ tablespoon sherry vinegar
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for brushing)
- 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 16 baby leeks (or thick scallions), trimmed
Instructions
- Preheat your grill. And preheat your oven to 350°.
- In a small heatproof bowl, cover the ancho chile with hot tap water and soak until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain.
- Meanwhile, in a pie plate, toast the almonds in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly browned. Let the almonds cool, then coarsely chop.
- In a food processor, combine the ancho with the almonds, toasted baguette, and garlic and process to a smooth paste. Add the tomatoes, roasted red pepper and vinegar and puree. With the machine on, slowly pour in the ¼ cup of olive oil and process until blended and smooth. Scrape the Romesco sauce into a bowl, stir in the parsley and season with salt and black pepper.
- Brush the leeks with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat until charred all over, about 3 minutes. Serve with the Romesco sauce alongside.
Notes
- Marcona almonds can be found at Costco, World Market or in gourmet supermarkets. Use regular almonds if you can't find Marcona. You should attempt to find them though... they're amazing!
- You can peel a firm-fleshed Roma tomato with a vegetable peeler. To seed the tomato, cut it in half horizontally, hold the tomato over a bowl, cut side down, and gently squeeze out the seeds and gel, coaxing them out with your finger if necessary.
- Food & Wine suggests serving this with Spain's most famous sparkling white wine - Cava.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 335kcal, Carbohydrates: 34g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 507mg, Potassium: 591mg, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 4869IU, Vitamin C: 34mg, Calcium: 130mg, Iron: 4mg