I have just returned from a hugely enjoyable but physically punishing four day trip to LA to see my good friend Pricey. Although the length of the journey played its part in that punishment it has to be said that it was due, in the main to the sheer volume of red wine that we also consumed. However I think it is fair to say that we put several of the worlds wrongs to right and shared our own problems both medical, financial and commercial and lets face it a problem shared with a really good friend is a problem much more than halved.
We had several excellent meals at some of our usual hangouts including a particularly fine six hour lunch at S'or Tino to welcome my arrival.
On the Saturday we abandoned our 'divisible by two' approach to dining and we cooked for ten at the Pricey's house, this of course meant that Peter and I could indulge in a day of expensive shopping in some of LA's most excellent emporiums of food including Gelson's and Santa Monica seafood but also a rather fine Italian food importer with a small shop on the back of his warehouse that definitely should one day appear in some LA mob thriller.
Anyway we cooked the old classic, Chicken with fennel red onion and pancetta and Bill's lemon roasted potatoes. To start we had a number of dishes standing at the bar in the kitchen.
One of them was asparagus (and prawns) with Romesco sauce. We grilled both the asparagus and the prawns on the BBQ but the recipe (from the Moro cookbook - with slight amendments by me to accommodate for not having some of the ingredients) below says to boil/steam it. Either way the sauce is definitely a winner and would also work with grilled fish or chicken
A fine evening was enjoyed by all and it ended with Mr and Mrs Price placing a number items on my by then comatose head and photographing it for posterity.... oh and then emailing it to my wife. Thanks
Love you Priceys
Asparagus with Romesco (serves 4)
COOK your asparagus in the normal way. I stand mine upright in a bundle in a tall pan with a lid, in a couple of inches of boiling water, so that the tips steam and the stalks cook right through.
peel the bases with a potato peeler first, breaking off and discarding the woody bits. Six wands per person is enough if they are good, fat stems.
Moro's Romesco
Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas mark 4. Romesco is also wonderful with fish, chicken, lamb or grilled baby leeks
Ingredients
* 3.5oz/100g whole blanched almonds
* 2oz/55g shelled hazelnuts
* 1 small dried red chilli, crumbled
* 3 garlic cloves, peeled
* 6 tbsp olive oil
* 2oz/55g stale white bread, cut into .5in/1.5cm cubes (you can toast or fry this first)
* 5oz/140g piquillo peppers, or 2 medium red bell peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded (I used a jar for ease)
* 1-1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar, or a mixture of the two
* 1 tsp tomato purée
* 40 strands saffron, infused in 8 tbsp boiling water
* half tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
Method
Place the almonds and hazelnuts on a tray, and dry roast in the top of the oven for about 20 minutes or until light golden-brown.
Traditionally, this sauce is made by pounding the bread, nuts, garlic and peppers together in a mortar with a pestle.
I used a food processor. Once you have a coarse paste, transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the olive oil, half the pepper water, the vinegar, the remaining garlic clove, crushed, the tomato puree, saffron, paprika, salt and pepper.
Taste for seasoning. If the sauce is very thick, add a little water and/or more olive oil.
Romesco can be made in advance.
We had several excellent meals at some of our usual hangouts including a particularly fine six hour lunch at S'or Tino to welcome my arrival.
On the Saturday we abandoned our 'divisible by two' approach to dining and we cooked for ten at the Pricey's house, this of course meant that Peter and I could indulge in a day of expensive shopping in some of LA's most excellent emporiums of food including Gelson's and Santa Monica seafood but also a rather fine Italian food importer with a small shop on the back of his warehouse that definitely should one day appear in some LA mob thriller.
Anyway we cooked the old classic, Chicken with fennel red onion and pancetta and Bill's lemon roasted potatoes. To start we had a number of dishes standing at the bar in the kitchen.
One of them was asparagus (and prawns) with Romesco sauce. We grilled both the asparagus and the prawns on the BBQ but the recipe (from the Moro cookbook - with slight amendments by me to accommodate for not having some of the ingredients) below says to boil/steam it. Either way the sauce is definitely a winner and would also work with grilled fish or chicken
A fine evening was enjoyed by all and it ended with Mr and Mrs Price placing a number items on my by then comatose head and photographing it for posterity.... oh and then emailing it to my wife. Thanks
Love you Priceys
Asparagus with Romesco (serves 4)
COOK your asparagus in the normal way. I stand mine upright in a bundle in a tall pan with a lid, in a couple of inches of boiling water, so that the tips steam and the stalks cook right through.
peel the bases with a potato peeler first, breaking off and discarding the woody bits. Six wands per person is enough if they are good, fat stems.
Moro's Romesco
Preheat oven to 350F/180C/Gas mark 4. Romesco is also wonderful with fish, chicken, lamb or grilled baby leeks
Ingredients
* 3.5oz/100g whole blanched almonds
* 2oz/55g shelled hazelnuts
* 1 small dried red chilli, crumbled
* 3 garlic cloves, peeled
* 6 tbsp olive oil
* 2oz/55g stale white bread, cut into .5in/1.5cm cubes (you can toast or fry this first)
* 5oz/140g piquillo peppers, or 2 medium red bell peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded (I used a jar for ease)
* 1-1.5 tbsp red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar, or a mixture of the two
* 1 tsp tomato purée
* 40 strands saffron, infused in 8 tbsp boiling water
* half tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
Method
Place the almonds and hazelnuts on a tray, and dry roast in the top of the oven for about 20 minutes or until light golden-brown.
Traditionally, this sauce is made by pounding the bread, nuts, garlic and peppers together in a mortar with a pestle.
I used a food processor. Once you have a coarse paste, transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the olive oil, half the pepper water, the vinegar, the remaining garlic clove, crushed, the tomato puree, saffron, paprika, salt and pepper.
Taste for seasoning. If the sauce is very thick, add a little water and/or more olive oil.
Romesco can be made in advance.
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