Grilled Spring Onions With Romesco Sauce

Ingredients

• 7 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ripe tomato, halved
• 1/4 cup almonds, toasted (shelled)
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts (shelled)
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 small almond biscotti, broken into pieces (about 3/4 ounce, or substitute 1 slice toasted bread plus 1 tablespoon almonds and a pinch of sugar)
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 egg yolks (hard cooked, lightly mashed)
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar (or more to taste)
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 pinch cayenne
• 8 spring onions, greens trimmed, bulbs halved

Directions

1. 1

   Slice 4 garlic cloves in half crosswise and put them in a small, microwave-safe dish. Cover with 1/4 cup olive oil. Loosely cover dish with plastic wrap, cut a slit in top and cook in microwave on medium power for 1 minute, 20 seconds. Uncover and let cool. Alternately, saute garlic in oil until golden around edges, about 3 minutes.

2. 2

   Place tomato cut-side down on a plate. Microwave on medium power for 4 minutes. Let cool, then pull off tomato skin; it should come right off. If not, cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute. Alternatively, roast tomato halves in a 350-degree oven until wrinkled and tender, 20-30 minutes, then peel.

3. 3

   Chop remaining 3 cloves garlic and put in a food processor along with nuts and biscotti. Grind to a powder, add sun-dried tomatoes and yolks, and process until tomatoes are ground. Add cooked tomato, cooked garlic with oil, plus vinegar, paprika, salt and cayenne, and process until smooth. Slowly drizzle in remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Taste and adjust salt and vinegar if desired. If mixture is too thick, slowly drizzle in 1-3 tablespoons warm water. (You can make sauce up to 5 days ahead.).

4. 4

   To prepare onions, preheat a grill or broiler. Brush onions with oil and place on a grilling rack or broiler pan. Grill or broil for about 5 minutes a side, until browned and softened. Serve with romesco sauce.