best sweet pepper sauce – Twice as Tasty

Tomato sauce comes in so many variations that it’s easy to overlook equally delicious sauces that feature another nightshade: sweet peppers. I offer one version of a sweet pepper sauce this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. I also explain why my recipe is merely inspired by romesco, which in Catalonia traditionally consists of mainly tomatoes and garlic underscored by mild ñora peppers but has been misrepresented as a roasted red pepper sauce by many American recipes.

Whatever you call them, sweet pepper sauces deserve as much attention as tomato ones—and are just as versatile. I’ve written about different ways to roast peppers for Taste of Home, but I typically make sauces with Grilled Sweet Peppers. The recipe in this week’s column includes nuts like romesco, and I typically make it in small batches to eat fresh. My Grilled Sweet Pepper Sauce recipe lacks nuts and garlic and freezes beautifully for quick meals all year.
Learn to make Romesco-Inspired Grilled Pepper and Almond Sauce

So many vegetables become sweeter and smokier when roasted or grilled, including red bell peppers, as I explain this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon. I grill peppers as they ripen throughout the growing season, both to eat immediately and to gather in a zip-close bag in the freezer.

Soft roasted peppers peel more easily if you move them straight from the grill to a paper bag or airtight bowl, let them steam a bit, and then pull off the translucent skin while they’re still warm. They’re easiest to chop uniformly, either by hand or in a food processor, if you first spread them on a tray and freeze them until slightly firm.

When I have a bumper crop of sweet peppers, I grill and puree them into a sauce to use on pizza, pasta, and more. When making sauce, I still remove as much peel as possible, because it tends to be bitter. But I don’t bother chopping the peppers. A high-powered food processor easily breaks down halves or quarters. I’ve been using this food processor for years to make ultrasmooth Grilled Sweet Pepper Sauce.
Learn to make Grilled Sweet Pepper Sauce