When we’ve got romesco around, we eat it every day, in some form (perched on a cucumber spear, on toast with a fried egg on top, straight  from a spoon…). Romesco is a Spanish classic — though ours subtly deviates from the norm: We ditched the bread and added green chile and cilantro. It’s traditionally paired with seafood or grilled torpedo onions (calçots) at la calçotada, an annual festival in Catalunya where the alliums are cooked outdoors, over a fire, and served with ample romesco and wine.

At the restaurant, we built a dish around this idea: Seared leeks and romesco — two of our absolute favorite things! — are paired with smashed, olive oil-crisped little potatoes and whatever lovely, grill-friendly vegetables we’re bringing in from the market (in spring it’s asparagus and snap peas; come summer, broccolini, summer squash, romanesco and tiny Brussels sprouts are in rotation). Daytime we often serve it with a fried egg; it’s a savory breakfast dream, especially with garlicky toast on the side.

We also serve it as a tartine — sometimes with hard-seared torpedo onions draped over the top, or with shaved raw zucchini, tossed with a touch of lemon and salt and tiled onto the bread (with toasted pine nuts and fresh cilantro for garnish, plus a sprinkle of chive dust).

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• 2 packed cups piquillo peppers
• 1 jalapeño, seeds removed (or 1 fresno chile)
• 2 medium cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 1 small lemon - juice & zest
• 2 teaspoons pimentón dulce (Spanish sweet smoked paprika)
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds
• 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
• A big handful of cilantro, preferably bolted (¼ cup chopped)
• Sea salt
• 20 tiny potatoes, boiled in salted water until tender
• Olive oil
• Sea salt & black pepper
• Spanish smoked paprika
• Broccolini, Summer Squash, Romanesco, Brussels Sprouts or Cauliflower (or a mix!)
• 3 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise
• Romesco
• Lemon zest & juice
• Cilantro flowers

To make the romesco: In a food processor, combine the roasted peppers with the rest of the ingredients. Blend and taste; it should be smoky, savory and gently acidic. Add more sherry vinegar, salt, olive oil and cilantro as needed. Blend until fully incorporated, but not fully uniform; some texture is ideal here.

To make the composed dish: Lightly crush each potato with the side of a knife. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add potatoes; sauté on one side until just starting to crisp, then flip and crisp up the other side. Remove from oil and season well with sea salt and black pepper and a sprinkle of smoked paprika.

While the potatoes are crisping, grill or sear the other vegetables. If needed (if using summer squash, cauliflower, Brussels that need to be halved, etc), cut the vegetables; toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook the leeks, cut-side down, until they get a touch of caramelized char, and then flip and cook for a few minutes on the other side, until soft through. Cut in two-inch lengths, season, and set aside. Grill/sear broccolini/summer squash/etc. until al dente, with nice char in spots.

To plate, mound romesco in the center of the dish and place potatoes, leeks and vegetables in a ring around the perimeter (like a gorgeous vegetable crown!). Garnish with a squeeze of lemon juice, a good drizzle of finishing oil, lots of lemon zest, a sprinkle of sea salt, and lots and lots of cilantro flowers (or cilantro leaves, if you can’t find flowers).

*If serving with a fried egg, place the egg over the romesco and plate the veg around the perimeter!

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