Recipe - Roasted Asparagus With Hazelnut Romesco Sauce

SAUCE
1 lg Red bell pepper
One half cup Hazelnuts, shelled
1 Dried ancho chile
1 Clove garlic, coarsely
chopped
2 teaspoon Sweet paprika
One fourth teaspoon Cayenne
1 tablespoon Tomato paste
2 tablespoon Sherry, or red wine vinegar
One fourth cup Olive oil
One fourth teaspoon Salt

ASPARAGUS
2 pound Asparagus
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1/8 teaspoon Salt

1. To prepare the sauce: Cut the bell pepper in half lengthwise. Put on a
piece of foil set on a baking sheet. Place on the top oven rack under a hot
broiler and broil until the skins blacken. Remove from the oven and put a
damp paper towel over the peppers. Let cool. Then remove the blackened
skins, seeds and stem. Set aside.

2. Place the hazelnuts in a baking pan. Toast in a preheated 350degree
oven 12 minutes, or until the skins start to crack. Remove nuts from the
oven and cool slightly before transferring to a clean kitchen towel. Close
towel and rub to remove the hazelnut skins. (Some of the skins will still
adhere to the nuts.) Set aside.

3. Remove and discard the stem and seeds of the chili. Put into a small
bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside until softened, about 30
minutes. Drain.

4. Put the hazelnuts, softened chili and garlic into a food processor and
chop finely. Add bell pepper, paprika, cayenned, tomato paste, vinegar,
olive oil and salt. Process until smooth and thick, almost like a
mayonnaise. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate. (The sauce can be
made 3 days in advance. Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before
serving.)

5. To prepare the asparagus: Snap the ends from the asparagus; wash well
and pat dry.

6. Spread the asparagus in a roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil;
sprinkle with salt. Roast in a preheated 425degree oven about 12 to 15
minutes, or until tender. Remove from the pan, transfer to a platter and
cool. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (This can be done 24
hours in advance.)

7. Serve the asparagus with the romesco sauce on the side.

From "Kitchen Conversations" by Joyce Goldstein.

MC formatted 3/29/97 by MsRooby@sprintmail.com

Recipe by: Seattle Times 3/26/97 Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #546 by
Rooby MsRooby@sprintmail.com on Apr 03, 1997