Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Tomato Sauce

This is a sauce I used with my Stuffed Poblano Pepper recipe from the Candle 79 Cookbook. It is a great sauce that can be used with many different types of dishes. Be forewarned though, the smoked paprika has a very distinct taste. If you don't like smoked paprika, feel free to use another type of paprika instead.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper and Tomato Sauce
Makes 2 cups

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers
• 4 tomatoes
• 3 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 cups vegetable stock

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.

The cookbook doesn't tell you to do this, but you should -- cut the tomatoes in half, otherwise, they won't bake all as quickly or thoroughly. Put the peppers (whole) and tomatoes (cut in half) on rimmed baking sheets and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.

Roast until tender, about 1 hour. The cookbook states to roast them for 30 minutes, but I didn't think that was long enough.

Transfer to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let cool. Once cool, peel the skin off the tomatoes and peppers and chop.

A tomato with the skin peeled off

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add the paprika, salt, stock, and roasted peppers and tomatoes and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Transfer to a blender and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. This sauce will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.