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Grilled Rib-Eye Steaks with Romesco Sauce
paired with our 2006 La Cruz Vineyard Pinot Noir

*2 1 ¼ - 1 ½ lb. bone in rib-eye steaks

Sauce
2 red bell peppers
1 large tomato, chopped
3 Italian curly peppers
½ c. crusty bread, cubed
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ c. marcona almonds
¾ c. olive oil, divided
1 T. sambuca, or any other anise-flavored liqueur
1 t. smoked Spanish paprika
salt & pepper

To prepare the sauce, roast the bell peppers either underneath a broiler or on an open flame until the skin is completely charred. Place peppers in paper bag and let them rest for 15 minutes. Afterwards, rub all of the charred skin off of the peppers and remove all seeds. Then roughly chop the peppers and set them aside.

In a large skillet, heat ½ cup of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the whole Italian curly peppers and fry them until they are golden on all sides. Remove the peppers with a slotted spoon and drain them on a paper-towel- lined plate. Lightly salt the peppers. Add almonds to the oil, and fry them until they are golden. Remove the almonds with slotted spoon, and place them on the plate with the Italian peppers. Fry the cubed bread in same manner until golden and set it aside with the Italian peppers and almonds on the paper-towel-lined plate. Sauté the garlic in oil; add the tomato and roasted peppers. Season these with salt and pepper, then add paprika and sambuca. Allow these to boil for two to three minutes. Stir in the almonds, the Italian peppers and the bread into the sauce; turn off the heat and let everything cool. Season steaks generously with salt and pepper on each side, set aside for at least thirty
minutes. Preheat grill to medium high heat.

In a food processor, blend the sauce with the additional ¼ cup of olive oil until smooth; season to taste with salt and pepper and set it aside in a serving bowl. Grill steaks about four minutes per side (medium rare); let them rest for 10
minutes and serve, passing the Romesco sauce along side.

Pour a glass of our 2006 La Cruz Vineyard Pinot Noir and enjoy!

*I find two steaks are plenty to serve four people; if you are serving meat enthusiasts, you might opt to buy one steak per person. There is plenty of sauce to go around.

Serves four (4)

Recipe by Megan Thomas