Name: Air-Fryer Romesco
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 ounce dried ñora or ancho chiles , stemmed and seeded; 1 (3-inch) piece baguette (1½ ounces), cut into 4 slices; ¼ cup whole blanched hazelnuts and/or almonds; 6 garlic cloves , lightly crushed and peeled; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil , divided, plus extra for serving; 6 plum tomatoes , cored and halved lengthwise; 1 tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar , plus extra for seasoning; ½ teaspoon table salt

Why This Recipe Works

Wanting to see how far we could go with using the air fryer to cook different ingredients, we made romesco, a classic Catalan sauce from the Spanish province of Tarragona. Traditionally used as a spread; an accompaniment to meats, fish, or vegetables; or the base of a stew, we put romesco, a sweet, tangy combination of dried ñora chiles, roasted tomatoes, garlic, toasted nuts, bread, olive oil, and vinegar, to use as a dip. We rehydrated dried ñora chiles in hot water. Meanwhile, we used the air fryer to roast tomatoes until lightly browned, toast bread and nuts, and roast garlic cloves, too. Then we processed the cooked ingredients with the rehydrated chiles, water, olive oil, and vinegar to create an earthy, creamy sauce.

Before You Begin

You can substitute ancho chiles for ñoras. This recipe can be easily doubled. Serve with toasted baguette slices, pita chips, crackers, and/or crudités.

Instructions

Place ñoras in bowl; cover with hot water; and let sit until softened, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain chiles and discard soaking liquid. Meanwhile, toss baguette slices, hazelnuts, and garlic with 1 tablespoon oil.

Arrange tomatoes cut side up in air-fryer basket. Place basket into air fryer; set temperature to 400 degrees; and cook until tomatoes are spotty brown, skins are blistered, and tomatoes have begun to collapse, 12 to 18 minutes. Arrange bread, hazelnuts, and garlic around tomatoes in air-fryer basket and cook until bread, hazelnuts, and garlic are deep golden brown and tomatoes are well browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

Transfer tomato-bread mixture to food-processor bowl and add ñoras and salt. Pulse until mixture is coarsely ground, 6 to 8 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add 3 tablespoons water, vinegar, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil and process until mixture is mostly smooth, about 2 minutes. (Add up to ¼ cup extra water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed to achieve consistency of thick mayonnaise.) Season romesco with salt, pepper, and extra vinegar to taste. Transfer to serving bowl and drizzle with extra oil. Serve. (Romesco can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; bring to room temperature and whisk to recombine before serving.)