José Andrés's Romesco With Asparagus Two Ways | Slow Food Fast - WSJ

Preheat oven to 550 degrees. Brush pepper, tomatoes, garlic and onion with oil. Roast, turning halfway through cooking, until soft and blistered, 30 minutes.Meanwhile, place chilies in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak 15 minutes. Strain, halve and carefully remove seeds and stems. Transfer chilies to a food processor.Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small frying pan over low-medium heat. Add ¾ cup almonds and toast until browned, about 7 minutes. Transfer to food processor.Swirl additional 1½ tablespoons oil into frying pan. Once hot, add bread and slowly fry until browned all over, about 3 minutes per side. Remove bread and let cool, then add to food processor.Once roasted vegetables are cool enough to handle, remove skins from pepper, garlic and onions. Place all roasted vegetables in food processor and add 1½ tablespoons vinegar, pimentón and 4 tablespoons oil. Blend until a thick sauce forms. Season with salt to taste.Toss three-fourths of asparagus with salt and 1 tablespoon oil. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, sauté spears until tender and browned all over, about 2 minutes per side.With a vegetable peeler, shave remaining asparagus into ribbons. In a small bowl, toss shaved asparagus with ½ tablespoon vinegar and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt to taste.Spoon a generous amount of romesco sauce onto each plate. Top with asparagus spears, shaved asparagus and remaining almonds.