New Foods

I can be a very simple girl - I don't need things complicated.  Sometimes my favorite food is water.  Just plain, ice cold water.  Like after my 12.5 mile run on Friday.  I felt like there was nothing I wanted more in this world than water.  And then I tried Romesco sauce.  And now all I want is Romesco sauce.  Maybe I am complicated.

I met up with two girlfriends on Friday night for dinner at Bar Pintxo, a Spanish tapas place in Santa Monica.  Tapas can be hit or miss for me.  Sometimes I just want to eat a large quantity of food (like, say, after a 12.5 mile run), and a tapas bar just isn't the place to do it.  But I was pleasantly surprised with the selection and portion size here.  And a glass of wine to help fill my tummy never hurts :)

My favorite, by far, was the baby artichokes with Serrano ham and Romesco sauce.

This picture just doesn't do it justice

I have heard of Romesco sauce, but have never made it or even tried it until this weekend.  And now it's all I can think about - rich and nutty, but light and bright at the same time.  Maybe it's complicated.

I went to the farmer's market on Saturday morning and almost bought baby artichokes just so that I could try to make this recipe at home.  I didn't buy them, and then had every intention of going to the Sunday farmer's market so that I could pick them up.  Between killing myself on the Santa Monica Steps and picking B up at the airport, I just didn't make it.  But stay tuned!  I assure you, I will try this recipe soon!  I can't get it out of my head.

In the mean time, anyone know what to do with a GINORMOUS daikon radish?  Why I walked away from the market with this instead of baby artichokes is beyond me.

Yes, I used my arm as comparison.