Red pepper and macadamia nut sauce

To prepare the peppers:
Place the whole peppers under a hot grill and turn frequently until the skins are blackened and blistered.
Transfer the peppers to a plastic bag, seal and leave to cool sufficiently in order to handle, then rub off the charred skin. (Alternately, using a pair of tongs, hold the peppers over the flame of a gas burner, turning until the skins are charred.)
Remove the membranes from inside the red-pepper cavities.

To make the sauce:
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Cut the tomatoes in half, lengthways, and deseed. Place the tomato halves skin side down on a baking tray, sprinkle them with the brown sugar and scatter over the garlic.
Drizzle with 1 T macadamia oil and roast for 20 minutes.
Allow to cool, then remove the skins from the tomato halves and discard (but reserve the roasted garlic cloves).

Blend the macadamia nuts until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs. Add the prepared peppers, tomato and reserved garlic, balsamic vinegar and red chilli, to taste.

Process while adding the remaining 3 T of oil in a slow, steady stream. Add salt to taste and serve.

Cook’s note: This sauce will keep for up to 7 days in the fridge.

This recipe was created by Mariana Esterhuizen,  the owner-chef of Marianas Home Deli and Bistro in Stanford. You can call her on (028) 341 0272 if you have any queries about this recipe.