CHIPOTLE GARLIC FOCACCIA & ROMESCO DIP
No time on hand is another matter altogether, & as I recently said to Judy (on Twitter obviously) – It’s a wonder we get anything done…half my recent life has been twittered away!! And then of course there’s always the Greek foodie, Peter, who twitters about wondering which post to post. Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh…how come he has so much time?
Got lucky one morning. The day I was sitting with a 1/4 focaccia, wondering what to do with it, I tripped on this really GOOD looking Romesco dip on Tastespotting (or was it FoodGawker), I followed the dip to Dinner With Julie’s. Imagine my delight, I had all the ingredients on hand, even found 2 roasted red bell peppers sitting in the fridge. 
All items checked, I hit the counter pronto to make the dip. It was delicious. I roasted some garlic too while toasting the bread, & the almonds as well in between. This is a seriously good dip. The almonds work some magic in there to give it a nutty flavour, the bread adds some texture, the paprika a kick of colour…& the olive oil just brings it all alive. 
I used some extra olive oil, made a few minor changes,& the found a keeper of a recipe. The kids loved it too, & I licked the bowl clean (a rare moment, but unavoidable!). Michelle @ Big Black Dogs made it while I twittered about it, & she loved the dip too. Thank you for posting this YUM Romesco Julie!
ROMESCO DIP
as adapted from Dinner With Julie
In her words, “All the amounts here are approximate – it’s a dip, so feel free to wing it.”
Ingredients:
1/4 cup roasted almonds (roasted in the oven at 180C for 10-15minutes till fragrant)
3 garlic cloves ( I toasted the garlic with the bread)
4 thick slices focaccia bread, toasted (or 3 if you’re using a baguette)
2 red peppers, roasted
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. paprika
Salt to taste
2-6 Tbsp. olive oil (or canola)
Method:
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Toast almonds in a medium oven till they are pale golden and fragrant.
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Toast the bread & unpeeled garlic cloves for 10-15 minutes in a medium hot oven. Peel the garlic, & tear the bread into chunks.
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Transfer to a food processor & pulse until the bread and nuts turn to crumbs.
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Add the red peppers, vinegar, paprika and salt and whiz until well blended. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and process until the mixture has the consistency of thick mayonnaise, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
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Serve with pitas, slices of crusty baguette, cooked tail-on shrimp, naan or veggies.
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Makes about 1 cup. (Will keep in the fridge for a day or two. Make sure the top is covered with a thin film of oil.)
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I served it the next time with slices of French bread…mmmmmmmmm!
On another note, Andrea @ FoodBlogger 2008 included me in her post for the Best of Foodblogs 2008…& I proudly display the badge she gave me. Thanks for the mention Andrea, & for being so patient with me. Please feel free to mail Andrea @ andrea.mahlers@gmx.de if you wish to send her your favourite 2008 recipe from your blog.
Deeba @ PAB
About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.
26 Comments
Susan from Food Blogga
Everything about this recipe is perfect, Deeba. And congratulations, my dear, on being included in Andrea’s list. She obviously has good taste. 🙂
Sue
This is a perfect Cinco de Mayo recipe. That chipotle focaccia sounds awesome. Great job.
Congrats on your newest honor. You deserve it.
Happy cook
Wow congragulations.
We don’t get chipolte chillies here si when hubby went to US my sis send it with him.
Now i hear from your post it is available in UK too.
I am sure going to look for them when i go there nex t time, or ask hubby to look for if he has time.
Foccacia and the dip looks really delicous,
Well i woudn’t expect anything else from here 🙂
Parita
wow looks delicious….
Barbara Bakes
Another beautiful post! Your foccacia reminds me of the delicious loaves we bought in Italy last summer.
Superchef
congratulations!! the foccacia and the dip looks soo fabulous!
Kerstin
Your lovely the focaccia and roasted red pepper dip sound perfect together – yum! Hope your writer’s block disappears soon 🙂
noble pig
I love Romesco and serve when I make calamari..but hey, why not with just some crusty bread. Now you have me thinking!
Helene
Congratulations, I’m excited for you.
Love your bread and that dip is serious stuff. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Dawn
congrats! you deserve that nod for sure!
I am such a dip girl. I love to have a really good dip and warm bread for dinner–that’s all I need.
Arwen from Hoglet K
Sounds like a great way to use up stale bread. The smoky, spicy sauce is a great addition too.
giz
Congrats Deeba on the accolaides – well deserved! And thank you for a wonderful shout out and consideration of our critical world famine situation. We all need to be more vigilant about not wasting.
coffeegrounded
Oh my goodness, smokiness and nuts! How can we go wrong…it’s impossible.
Congratulations on winning your latest award, Deeba. You are so deserving.
Divya Kudua
Lovely Focaccia Deeba..looks so pretty.I guess I missed the post before,gonna check out your version of the bread..me taking baby steps in yeastly[hopefully not ghastly:)]baking:).Great dip too,love the bright red colour!!
Arundathi
Congratulations, Deeba 🙂
And lovely looking dip – looks hot and fiery! and the focaccia is perfect!
Bellini Valli
This is amazing as always Deeba. I have no doubt why you were voted as one of the best blogs!! Thank you also for the mention of BloggerAid-Changing the Face of Famine and raising awareness for what we are all trying to accomplish.
Donna-FFW
Congrats to you.. you deserve it. This sounds wonderful .. how can you go wrong with roasted red peppers and toasted almonds, sounds delightful.
AndreaQ
This dip looks so refreshing! I feel like I’m always making creamy style dips-this is a nice change! Can’t wait to try it!
Curry Leaf
Love the focaccia and the dip.Too delicious to be true.Perfect as always
Núria
Yes Romesco is the SAUCE! I love it too! My recipe differs a bit of yours, but ingredients are basically the same. If you try it with grilled fish you’ll “see the light” ;D
Congratulations for being one of the Bests! I had no doubt about that 😀
Bunny
This looks so good Deeba, everything you make is great!!
Hugging the Coast
Focaccia and roasted red pepper dip…what a great combination! I’m now officially hungry!
A_and_N
Congrats 🙂 You deserve it!
And – the romesco sauce is brilliant isn’t it? We made a sauce and used it for roasted cauliflower. It was so rich without any addition of fats !
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Fantastic combination-your foccacia looks amazing as does your dip!
Bharti
The dip looks so flavorful Deeba. And gorgeous bread as usual.
haleysuzanne
That looks amazing. I keep seeing recipes for romesco dip, and I am going to have to cave and make some. You have me convinced!