Silky, Nutty & Tangy Roasted Capsicum Sauce

Sweet roasted capsicums and tomatoes blended with parmesan, toasted pine nuts, warm spices and a generous splash of vinegar. It is silky, creamy, tangy and very loosely inspired by romesco.

Ingredients

For roasting

• 2 large red or yellow capsicums

• 2 large ripe tomatoes, preferably vine-ripened, or 1 punnet cherry tomatoes

• 1 onion, peeled and quartered

• 1 large whole bulb of garlic, unpeeled

• ¼ cup pine nuts

• A generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil

For blending

• 1 slice toast, torn into pieces—I use soy and linseed for its nutty flavour

• ¼ cup red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• ¼ cup finely grated parmesan

• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

• A generous spoonful of cottage cheese or ricotta

Method

1. Prepare the vegetables

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced.

Quarter the capsicums and remove the stems, seeds, and white membranes. Arrange them on a large roasting tray with the quartered onions and tomatoes.

Place the whole, unpeeled bulb of garlic on the tray. Drizzle everything generously with olive oil.

2. Roast until soft and charred

Roast for 45–60 minutes, until the capsicums and tomatoes are very soft and the vegetables are beginning to char around the edges.

Scatter the pine nuts over the tray for only the final 5–8 minutes of roasting. Keep an eye on them as they can go from golden to cremated with impressive speed.

3. Let everything cool

Remove the tray from the oven and allow the vegetables to cool for approximately 5–10 minutes.

4. Blend the sauce

Transfer the roasted vegetables and pine nuts to a blender. Squeeze the soft roasted garlic into the blender and discard the skin.

Add the torn toast, vinegar, lemon zest, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, cayenne, oregano, parmesan, and cottage cheese or ricotta.

Pulse everything together, then blend until smooth and creamy.

5. Taste and adjust

Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper as needed.

Add more cottage cheese or ricotta if it’s too tangy. This will soften the acidity and make the sauce even creamier.

6. Find some focaccia immediately

Spread generously over freshly toasted focaccia and prepare to be transported to heaven.