We developed an addiction to romesco sauce & calçots at Barrafina Soho a few years back. Romesco is one of the most delicious things to come out of Spain; a balance of roasted peppers, nuts, olive oil and vinegar that is unbelievably addictive.

Calçots, a special Catalan kind-of-leek, not-onion scallion that only appears for a short window in the year, have eluded us at home for a long time.

Thankfully Brindisa are were selling them online.

Technically it's not quite Romesco that's eaten at a calçotada, but it's pretty close. There are 100s of romesco recipes out there on the Internet, but the instructions below make the sauce how I remember it tasting the first time I had it, and I've been making this way ever since.

Warning: anyone who eats it will be back for more. So hide it.

Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees C.

If you're going to barbecue the calçots and have it burning already, then roast your romano peppers on the grill until they're black all over. If not, and you have a gas hob, then use one of the rings to do it. You could also use a blow torch - but the barbecue is best if you can.

When they look nice and black, take them off the heat, place in a heatproof bowl and cover with cling film. Let them stand for 10 minutes to sweat.

Spread the hazelnuts and almonds over a tray and put in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

When 10 minutes are up, take the tray out of the oven and set aside. Place the peppers on a chopping board. Scrape off the blackened skin, slice the top off, then slice in half and remove the seeds. Chop each pepper into smaller chunks.

Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a pan over a medium-high heat, then slice your garlic thinly and add that to the pan along with the roasted peppers and a pinch of chilli flakes. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the garlic has softened, then throw in your sourdough and cook for another 5 minutes.

Pour this into your food processor, and add the tomato puree, vinegar, parsley, paprika, and a pinch of salt. Blend until roughly chopped. At this point, start pouring in the olive oil with the processor's blade running. I like a more chunky consistency that is wet but still has some nutty texture - the more traditional way is to have it more smooth. The remaining olive oil (around 95g) is about what I'd suggest, but ease back on it if you think it's getting too wet.

Try the romesco and season until you're happy with the flavour. Use it on the calçots below, or have it as a side with salad, cheese or cold meats. You'll start finding excuses to have it.

Will last up to 5 days if refrigerated.


Calçots

The traditional Spanish way is to cook them on open coals, then wrap in newspaper to steam for 15 minutes.

You can place your calçots on the grill of a hot barbecue rather than on the coals directly if you prefer (some flames are fine). Either way, cook for 10 minutes. Turn them once in a while to make sure they cook all over. When they look blackened, remove and either wrap in newspaper or put in a bowl an cover with cling film to help the insides steam for 10-15 minutes.

When ready, peel off the outer blackened layer to find a soft onion centre. Dip in the romesco sauce and enjoy.