It's all about the smoky red pepper sauce.
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Romesco sauce reminds me of childhood leaf burning days.
My mother raked the leaves over the bumpy yellow yard into piles, shoveled them into the wheelbarrow, and rolled them across the yard to the garden so my father could set them on fire inside the big rusty barrel. While they worked, my brother and I chased each other through the leaf piles and snatched rides to and from the garden in the wheelbarrow, careful to slide off before we reached the fire pit. The rustling of dry leaves, the creaking of the barrow wheels, the haze of burning drifting through the yard . . . all this rises up to me as I stand over the stove in my New York City apartment, charring peppers over the gas flame.
As much as I love making romesco, I love eating it even more. The blackened peppers, toasted almonds, and roasted tomatoes mingle with paprika to create a smoky spicy sauce that is truly addictive.
Romesco can be used as a dip, a spread, a sauce. It’s wonderful dolloped over fish, tossed into pasta, smeared over bread. In this roasted eggplant sandwich, it becomes the perfect smoky backdrop to the rich, custardy eggplant, perfectly punctuated by the tangy goat cheese and fresh biting arugula. Pile all this between slices of crunchy toasted sourdough, and it becomes one of the most delicious sandwiches you’ve ever tasted.
Enjoy!
Roasted Eggplant Sandwiches with Romesco
(Makes 1 1/2 cup romesco and 4 sandwiches)
For the Romesco:
¾ pound tomatoes (2-3, depending on size)
3 large garlic cloves, 2 unpeeled, 1 peeled
½ cup raw almonds
1 large slice white bread (about 1 oz)
½ pound red bell peppers (1 large or 2 small)
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ tsp chili flakes
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tbsp parsley
¼ cup olive oil
For the sandwiches:
½ medium eggplant, sliced crosswise into ½-inch rounds
¼ cup olive or vegetable oil
½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Romesco sauce, warmed
8 pieces good white bread, toasted
4 ounces goat cheese
Arugula
Special equipment: baking sheet, foil, food processor
Method
For the romesco:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut an “X” in the bottoms of the tomatoes and place on a foil-lined baking sheet with 2 unpeeled garlic cloves, almonds, and white bread. Bake 10 minutes, until the almonds are light golden inside and the bread is toasted; remove almonds and bread and continue to bake until garlic is soft and jammy on the inside, about 15-20 minutes longer. Remove garlic and continue to cook tomatoes until softened and lightly charred on the outside, about 40-50 minutes longer. Let cool, then peel and core the tomatoes. Peel the roasted garlic cloves.
Meanwhile, char red peppers over an open flame on a gas stove until blackened and soft, about 10 minutes. Remove to a heat-proof bowl; cover until cool enough to handle. (This steams them, which makes it easier to remove the skins later.) When the peppers are cool, peel and discard skins and seeds.
In a food processor, blitz toasted almonds, roasted and unroasted garlic, bread, and salt until the entire mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add skinned red peppers, tomatoes, paprika, chili flakes, red wine vinegar, and parsley; pulse until combined. Stream in olive oil. Taste and add additional salt if necessary.
For the sandwiches:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange eggplant on a foil-lined baking sheet; brush with olive oil and season with salt on both sides. Roast 20 minutes; flip the slices and bake until golden brown and tender, about 10 minutes longer.
To build the sandwiches, spread a bed of romesco on four slices of bread. Top each slice with two slices roasted eggplant, crumbled goat cheese, and mounds of arugula. Spread a thin layer of romesco sauce on each of the remaining bread slices, and place the slices, sauce side down, on top of the arugula. Serve warm.
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