This simple sauce has many applications: as a sauce for meat (page 54), as a pasta sauce, or as a soup base. Wood-roasting the peppers and onions adds great flavor. Returning them to the fire along with the wine and other ingredients adds a richness and depth to the sauce. use a red wine that has a lot of presence such as Zinfandel or Sangiovese. You can add other spices, such as a curry blend or chipotles in adobo, as you choose.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Place the bell peppers in the embers of a wood-fired oven or over the direct heat of a grill. Roast until well blistered and charred all over. Place in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap, and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove the skin, seeds, and stem. Reserve any juice. Cut into chunks. Roast the onion, cut side down on the grill or skin side down in the embers, until slightly caramelized. Remove the skin and coarsely chop.
Step 2
Combine the peppers, reserved juice, onion, garlic, olive oil, wine, and herbs in a baking dish and place on the floor of the wood-fired oven or over indirect heat on the grill. Cook, uncovered, until liquid is slightly reduced, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Place in a blender or food processor and puree. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pushing down on the solids with the back of a large spoon. Season with the honey and salt and pepper to taste. Add the pepper flakes, if you like. Thin with a touch of warm water or vegetable stock if needed. Use warm, or store in portions in self-sealing plastic bags in the refrigerator for 1 week or in your freezer for up to 2 months.
