Romesco Sauce and Sorrel Sauce

Dijon in Burgundy, France

I can never get enough of different sauces and spreads. I like them thin or thick, and I like them as leftovers used with a salad, a sandwich, or a piece of meat or fish. For me, the right sauce makes the meal. When I visited the Burgundy in France (click here to read about my trip), I had the most incredibly thick eggplant sauce next to a piece of fish with the most delicate flavor I have ever tasted. The great chef had added some African spice, and I have no idea what it was. However, I remember tasting something similar in Morocco. Well, my sauces are nothing like that. They are straightforward, easy to make, delicious and can be used in many ways.

romesco sauce

sorrel sauce

Louis-PhilippeVigilant at Loiseau Des Ducs in Dijon creates exquisite sauces

The romesco sauce makes a delicious and healthy lunch

I got the idea for the romesco sauce from my blogger friend, Mary Ann, who writes the thebeachhousekitchen blog. She made her romesco sauce as an appetizer with cruditées. I have made this recipe many times and usually eat it as a sandwich spread or with a salad. It is a healthy substitute for richer foods like mayonnaise or butter. For the salmon, I used a recipe from myrecipe.com. This recipe uses canned tomatoes instead tomato paste and cumin as a spice rather than smoked paprika. I don't purée this sauce as much as Mary Ann’s sauce, leaving it coarser for the salmon. Both sauces are delicious.
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The inspiration for the sorrel sauce came from the blog, Back Road Journal, and Bon Appetit. I added more sorrel because I have an endless supply of it in my tiny wild garden. Sorrel is a tart, slightly sour herb, oxalis, another common name for this herb means "sour".  I think it has a distinct lemony flavor and I find its tartness refreshing. I prefer to purée the sauce in a mixer until smooth. I love the taste of this rich and tangy sauce. It compliments a piece of salmon and other fish. I could eat it on steamed veggies or a chicken breast. It would also taste great with shrimp, chicken or salmon skewers.
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Here is a link to to Mary Ann’s romesco sauce and Karen’s sorrel sauce. Both sauces can be made a day ahead. I had leftovers and ate them for several days.

Romesco Sauce & Sorrel Sauce

When I made the sorrel sauce for a large party, I didn't write down the proportions so I tried to reproduce the recipe for this blog post. I got carried away with the amount of sorrel (I added 4 cups which made the sauce quite tart), so next time, I will reduce the amount by half or less. I tasted the sauce the next morning and it had mellowed out somewhat.
​My romesco sauce is a combination of Mary Ann’s blog post and my recipe.com, which was very well received by my nephew who liked its nutty flavor. I have used hazelnuts instead of almonds.

Ingredients for the romesco sauce

making the romesco sauce in the food processor

sorrel from my garden

the wilted sorrel

Print Recipe - Romesco Sauce

Print Recipe - Sorrel Sauce

Ingredients for the Sorrel Sauce

1-2 cups packed sorrel
½  cup dry white wine
1 ½ tsp minced shallots
1 ½  cup whipping cream
1 TBS lemon juice 
sprinkle of nutmeg
pepper and salt to taste





​Ingredients for the Romesco Sauce


1  12 ounce jar of fire roasted yellow and red peppers
1 cup drained canned tomatoes (diced)
½ cup slivered roasted almonds (peeled) 
3 TBS olive oil
2 clove garlic (chopped)
2 TBS red wine vinegar
½ tsp chipotle dried pepper or cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin
​½ tsp salt
​ 1 (1-oz) slice white bread

Directions for the Sorrel Sauce​

Combine the shallots and wine in a sauce pan and reduce the wine to about 4 tablespoons (until it gets a little syrupy). Add the sorrel and cook for about 2 -3 minutes. Add the cream and lemon juice and cook for a few more minutes. Transfer the sauce to a blender and mix until smooth. I used my Vitamix for this. Season with salt, pepper and additional lemon juice. 

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Directions for the Romesco Sauce

Mince the garlic cloves in the food processor. Add all the other ingredients to the food processor and grind until almost smooth, with some crunch and texture to it. Both sauces will keep for several days in the fridge. 

Guten Appetit!
recipe adapted from BackRoadJournal.com
the beachhousekitchen.com and
my recipe.com
by Sunnycovechef.com

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