Yield: 496 grams (3 cups)
| INGREDIENTS | METRIC (GRAMS) | VOLUMETRIC (APPROXIMATE) |
| Garlic, roasted, 1 bulb, purchased or homemade (directions below) | 20 | 3 to 4 tablespoons |
| Red bell peppers, blackened (3 or 4 large peppers) | 340 | 2½ cups |
| Cream cheese | 139 | ½ cup |
| Almonds, whole, toasted | 46 | ⅓ cup |
| Raisins, golden | 93 | 1 cup |
| Paprika, smoked | 5 | 2½ teaspoons |
| Cayenne pepper | 1 | ½ teaspoon |
| Salt, fine | 3 | ½ teaspoon |
| Lemon juice, fresh | 5 | 1 teaspoon |
| Black pepper, ground | 3 | 1¼ teaspoons |
PREPARE
If you already have roasted garlic and blackened bell peppers on hand, skip down to the process. Bottled varieties of roasted bell peppers are a suitable option here.
To cook the garlic: Put a bulb’s worth of peeled garlic cloves and ½ cup of olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook until the cloves are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool in a bowl to prevent overcooking.
Alternatively, if the oven is on for something else, cut the stalk end off a bulb of garlic, exposing the cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in aluminum foil. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes or until the garlic cloves are tender.
To roast or blacken the peppers: Place the bell peppers over an open flame, turning occasionally until well blackened. Place in a paper bag or bowl. Close the bag or cover the bowl, and let the peppers cool. Scrape off most of the blackened skin, then seed and stem the peppers, and reserve until use.
PROCESS
Place the cream cheese in a food processor fitted with a cutting blade. Pulse to soften.
Add the almonds, raisins, and garlic. Pulse briefly, 5 to 10 seconds.
Add the bell peppers, paprika, cayenne, salt, lemon juice, and black pepper and pulse briefly to combine. Again, pulse just a few seconds; the texture should be coarse, not pureed.
Chill for an hour before serving, to allow it to set up.
The romesco will hold for up to a week, chilled.