Smoky Roasted Pepper and Tomato Sauce

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the vegetables for roasting

   Preheat the oven to 220 °C. Halve the peppers and remove the cores. Halve the tomatoes, quarter the shallot, and leave the garlic cloves unpeeled. Arrange the vegetables on a baking sheet, drizzle with 10 ml of olive oil, and roast for 28–32 minutes, until the peppers have dark blisters in places and the tomatoes have softened.

   
2. 2

   Peel the roasted vegetables

   Transfer the roasted peppers to a bowl and cover for 8 minutes so they are easy to peel. Remove the skins from the peppers. Squeeze the garlic out of its skin, and reserve the juices from the baking sheet as well. If the tomato skins come away easily, peel them too.

   
3. 3

   Bloom the tomato paste and smoked paprika

   Heat the remaining 10 ml of olive oil in a pot. Add the tomato paste and smoked paprika. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds; the mixture should become fragrant, not darken or burn.

   
4. 4

   Simmer the sauce briefly

   Add the roasted peppers, tomatoes, shallot, garlic, and the juices from the baking sheet to the pot. Pour in 150 ml of water and add the salt, black pepper, and sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, and cook for 7 minutes.

   
5. 5

   Blend and season

   Remove the pot from the heat and blend the contents with an immersion blender until smooth and thick. Stir in 10 ml of red wine vinegar. Serve warm, not boiling; the vinegar should bring out the sweetness of the vegetables and leave a pleasantly fresh finish.