Whenever I’m back in my hometown of Portland, Oregon I always go to my favorite restaurant, Laurelhurst Market.

And I always get the exact same thing because it’s just so unbelievably simple and delicious: steak and greens with ancho chile romesco sauce.

I’ve yet to find an equivalent now that I live in San Francisco (crazy I know), so I’m sharing my version of this amazing traditional sauce, which pairs well with just about everything.

Romesco Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 dried ancho chile, cored and seeded
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes – (if they’re in season, get the orange variety, they have more flavor)
• 1/2 cup whole, raw almonds, blanched
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon organic red wine vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon unrefined salt

Romesco Sauce Instructions:

1. Soak the chile in 1 cup hot water until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain and put the chile in a food processor.
2. On a parchment-lined baking sheet add cherry tomatoes, almonds, and garlic cloves. Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove almonds from baking sheet, then put the sheet back in the oven to roast for another 15 minutes.
3. Once tomatoes have roasted and slightly exploded, pinch off the skins and add them to your food processor along with the almonds and garlic cloves.
4. Add the salt and start the processor while slowly pouring in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream.
5. Add the vinegar, pulse to incorporate, and taste; the sauce should have some zing, add more if needed.
6. Add salt to taste.
7. Process the romesco until it comes together as a sauce, but not so much so it loses its coarse, nutty texture. The sauce should be thick and creamy.

You’ve officially been sauced!

What’s your favorite sauce? Let me know in the comments below!