Food

Arepas with Romesco Sauce

6 ears fresh corn, cut off the cob
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 cup medium stone ground cornmeal
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Sift together dry ingredients. Puree corn and onion in a food
processor until combined, but still lumpy. Add milk and eggs and
mix. Saute red pepper in butter and add to corn mixture. Add corn
mixture to dry ingredients.

In a buttered skillet over medium heat cook batter into
silver-dollar-sized arepas. Transfer to a warm plate and hold until
ready to serve with Romesco sauce and optionally fried Marguez
sausages and a salad made from sliced green apples, parsley and
pickled onions dressed with red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive
oil.


Romesco Sauce

2 large, thick slices of county bread, crusts removed and cut into cubes
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 red peppers, roasted and peeled
1/3 cup blanched almonds, toasted to golden
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tomato, cored, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup olive oil

Soak bread with red wine vinegar for 10 minutes and transfer to a
food processor. Add almonds, red pepper, garlic, tomato, salt and
pepper and puree until smooth. With the motor running, add the
olive oil in a thin stream, until mixture is the consistency of a
thick creamy sauce. Add the warm water as needed to thin, as
necessary. Serve at room temperature.