Green Romesco: Light BBQ Fare and a Primer for Cross Cuisine Substitution

Summer is in full swing! If the sun is out, chances are you’re not far from a grill being fired up. There is a vast world of barbecue meals beyond the typical burgers, hot dogs, ribs, and brisket!

I enjoy finding barbecue traditions across the world and customizing them for my palate. In Spanish Cataluña, a very special onion inspires massive coal fires to celebrate the harvest. Calçots undergo a special cultivation practice to create their unusual shape. Without intervention the onion would be globe shaped, but by incrementally covering the onions with soil, they are coaxed into long cylindrical shapes - perfect for grilling. The alliums then meet hot flames, charring the outside and leaving the inside tender and sweet.

Romesco sauce, pictured below, is the traditional pairing for the calçots, which complements the sweetness of the onion and provides enough sturdiness to coat whatever is dipped into it. Romesco recipes vary by region but nearly all include red peppers, almonds (or hazelnuts), and garlic local to the region.

So, what can we do when we can’t find Spanish peppers and Maracona almonds? This is a blog about Green Romesco after all! Rather than substituting the closest matching produce, I want to share a translation for a different cuisine, in this case from Mexico, to demonstrate how easy fusion can be!

Thoughtful Substitution

Because I wanted to make a green and Mexican inspired version of a Romesco sauce, I used a typical roasted green salsa as my baseline for comparison. I carefully assessed the differences of the sauces to bridge the gaps in the cuisines, and made choices to honor the core qualities of the original sauce - a mild, robust, and thick sauce.

Assessing the ingredients

Typical roasted green salsas in Mexican cuisine contain:

  • roasted fresh chilies

  • roasted garlic

  • roasted tomatillos

  • lime juice

  • cilantro

Typical Romesco sauces contain the following:

  • dried ñora peppers

  • maracona almonds

  • fresh garlic

  • roasted tomato

  • soaked bread

  • olive oil

  • sherry vinegar

adjust for the differences

  • Roasted poblanos are generally mild in spice level, have a mellow flavor, and have thick walls perfect for roasting over flame.

  • Tomatillos seem an obvious substitute for the tomatoes since they are green and have similar texture, I concluded that they would impart too much acidity to justify inclusion since Romesco is so mild. Tomatoes would color the sauce brown, and green is the goal!

  • While the bread would provide nice texture and add to the mildness of the sauce, I decided against it for simplicity and to lean more on the Mexican side of the flavors.

  • I substituted California almonds (similar varieties are used in Mexican cuisine) for the distinct nuttiness and thick texture they impart

  • I chose to include cilantro to fortify the green color and add the vegetal/fresh quality of the fresh herb

  • Lime juice was an easy choice to substitute for the sherry vinegar

  • I added a neutral oil (grapeseed oil) to substitute for the olive oil because oil is critical for the texture of the sauce, but olive oil is a bit strong tasting for the sauce.

  • The proportions of the ingredients also need to be adjusted to maintain balance. As an example, there are more almonds in this recipe due to the absence of bread and to temper the intensity of the peppers, lime juice, and cilantro.


    Making a (healthy) meal of it

To expand upon and adapt the simple pairing of the grilled calçot with the Romesco sauce, I chose to add simply prepared grilled vegetables and protein to the party.

  • Spring onions are a nice substitute for the calçots, with their bulbous ends. Leeks (or scallions in a pinch) will work as well.

  • Chicken kebabs seasoned with dried red and green chile add lean protein to the meal

  • Grilled corn and squash are traditional Mexican vegetable perfect to pair with the flavors of the green sauce!

While grilling over a fire isn’t the best health decision, getting your fill of vegetables and lean meat is! With a dip primarily made of peppers and nuts, with very little additional oil, this is a tasty meal that easily fits into a healthy diet.

Green Romesco Sauce With Grilled Accoutrement

INGREDIENTS

  • For the Romesco Sauce
    • 3 roasted poblanos, stemmed skinned and deseeded
    • 3 large roasted garlic cloves
    • 1/4 cup cilantro leaves/stems
    • 1/3 cup roasted almonds
    • 2 limes, juiced
    • 2 Tbsp neutral oil
    • 1 tsp salt
  • For the Accoutrement
    • 2 bunches, spring onions
    • 2 lbs chicken tenders, cubed
    • 2 ears corn
    • 1 crook neck squash, sliced
    • 1 zucchini squash, sliced
    • 2 Tbsp, red and/or green chile powder
    • 1/3 cup oil, for brushing
    • salt and pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Prepare your skewers. Cube the chicken and slice the squash into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Skewer, brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Add chile powder to the chicken.
  2. Remove the husk from the corn. Brush the corn and spring onions with oil and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Prepare your grill. Over the highest heat, roast the poblano peppers until blackened on all sides. Reserve to a covered tray or paper bag to steam and cool, loosening the skins. Peel, stem, and deseed. Chop into blendable pieces.
  4. Toast the garlic cloves and almonds until lightly blackened. Peel the garlic from the skins.
  5. Grill the onions and corn over high heat until heavily charred
  6. Grill the chicken and squash over medium high heat.
  7. To makee the Romesco, combine the poblano peppers, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, oil, and salt into a blender, food processor, or mortar and pestle and blend until mostly smooth, to a level slightly coarser than pesto.

Plate up and enjoy!

Matt Saal