Basic · Year-round
Three sauces, three accents
Black-garlic aioli, hazelnut romesco, green-chilli chimichurri verde. Not the textbook versions.
Three sauces a cook should be able to make without thinking about it. Mine are not the canonical versions. Black-garlic aioli instead of raw, romesco built around hazelnuts not almonds, chimichurri with a green-chilli punch instead of dried oregano carrying the whole flavour.
The aioli is the one I learned in a Barcelona bar where the owner refused to tell me how. I had to figure it out by ordering it five nights in a row and going home to taste-match. The romesco came from a stop in Tarragona, a chef called Lluís who only added hazelnut because his almond order didn't show that day. He never went back. The chimichurri is half from a Buenos Aires guy in Estepona, half from the one I make at home. The green chilli is mine.
These three keep one week in the fridge if you keep them under a film of olive oil. They turn a sad slice of bread into dinner. They are the difference between cooking and feeding someone.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Serves
- 6 people
- Difficulty
- 2 / 5
- Pair with
- Bread, charred vegetables, grilled meat or fish. Pick a partner.
Ingredients
Black-garlic aioli
- 1egg yolk at room temperature
- 4 clovesblack garlic
- 1 tspDijon mustard
- 200 + 50 mlsunflower oil + extra-virgin olive oil
Hazelnut romesco
- 60 groasted peeled hazelnuts
- 1roasted red pepper + ½ roasted tomato + 1 garlic clove
- 30 mlsherry vinegar + 100 ml olive oil
- 1 tbspsweet paprika + pinch smoked paprika + salt
Chimichurri verde
- 1 bunchflat parsley + ½ bunch coriander
- 1green chilli, deseeded + 2 garlic cloves
- 1lime (zest and juice)
- 100 ml + 1 tbspolive oil + red-wine vinegar + 1 tsp dried oregano
Method
- 1
Aioli: blitz yolk, black garlic, mustard, vinegar and salt for 20 seconds. With the blender running on low, pour in the sunflower oil in a thin steady stream until thick, then finish with the olive oil. One hour in the fridge.
- 2
Romesco: blitz the hazelnuts, pepper, tomato, garlic, vinegar and paprika briefly. With the machine running, add the olive oil until you have a thick, spoonable sauce. Taste hard. Salt and vinegar.
- 3
Chimichurri: pulse herbs, garlic and chilli briefly. Coarse, never paste. Transfer to a bowl, stir in lime zest and juice, oregano, oil, vinegar and salt. Rest 30 minutes minimum.
- 4
Spoon each into its own bowl. Cover with a thin layer of oil if not serving straight away. Keeps a week.
