Calçots with romesco sauce

A quintessential Catalan pairing that's stood the test of time, this combination of smoky charred calçot onions and thick, unctuous romesco sauce can work as a starter or a side. Make sure you really blacken the sweet calçots on a griddle pan or barbecue to infuse them with smoky flavour.

What do you need

12 calcots or 4 little leeks

olive oil, for drizzling

sea salt and black pepper to taste

our homemade romesco sauce

How to proceed

Prepare romesco sauce following our recipe. Place a griddle pan over a very high heat (or, if the weather’s nice, preheat a barbecue).

Once very hot, drizzle the calçots with olive oil and season with salt, then place them in a single flat layer on the griddle or barbecue (you may need to cook them in batches depending on the size of your pan).

Leave to cook until blackened on one side, then flip them over and cook until charred all over and soft in the centre.

To serve, either strip away the outer charred layers or allow your guests to do this if they don’t mind a bit of mess. Spoon the romesco over the calçots and dress with more olive oil, pepper and the reserved crushed almonds.

Note

As an alternative to calcots you can use the white part of leeks (preferably small and tender) cut in half lengthwise