Carrots are looking mighty nice these days.
That’s why it seemed like the right time to bring out this carrot romesco recipe. Romesco is a Spanish sauce traditionally made with red peppers, nuts, and olive oil (think of it as the Spanish pesto), but this carrot-based romesco is a nice twist on a classic.
It’s amazing how when a vegetable is in it’s prime time, it needs so little work. In this recipe, you start off by roasting the carrots with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Once those are out of the oven, it’s hard not to eat them all while you’re making the sauce.
About a quarter of them go into the food processor with some walnuts, oil, garlic, and vinegar. Pulse away until you’ve got a nice chunky sauce.
The pork tenderloin is quite simple as well. All it needs is a hot pan, some olive oil, salt and pepper. Once you’ve got it browned on both sides you’ll transfer it to the oven to finish it up.
The whole thing takes about 45 minutes to make and looks like you spent significantly more time on it.
That’s why I think it’s the perfect dish to welcome in fall.
- 1½ lb multi colored carrots, halved lengthwise
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ lb pork tenderloin
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ cup walnuts, chopped
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons water
- 1 large handful of arugula
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Arrange carrots in a baking dish and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes, until tender. Let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large cast iron pan. Season pork with salt and pepper on both sides. Once oil is hot, add to pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, turning occasionally, about 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer cast iron pan to oven and roast for an additional 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a food processor, pulse together garlic, walnuts, red pepper flakes, red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons olive oil, and ¼ of the roasted carrots. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sauce thins out a little. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Spread romesco sauce on the bottom of a large serving platter. Top with arugula, then carrots, and then pork. Let pork rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it.
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit’s April 2014 issue.
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