As you may have noticed on Instagram, our recent book club pick sent me in a Spanish direction for the accompanying goodies.

For the main course, I dabbled in another paella adventure (no burned-to-a-crisp pan this time around, thanks to my trusty cast iron). But for the grazing board, I decided to buzz up Spain’s famed Romesco as the centerpiece for dunking pita, cheese straws, and raw veggies.

As a lifelong lover of the basil-y bliss that is pesto, I appreciated the equally fresh flavors of this bright red sauce speckled with green from a handful of flat-leaf parsley. While I failed to make it in five minutes like the recipe suggested, the extra couple of minutes were worth it to fine-tune the taste (a bit more salt, an extra garlic clove, a smidge more vinegar).

And after having SO much pesto over the years, the leftovers were phenomenal tossed with pasta, nestled in a Caprese sandwich, and scooped up with leftover pita chips. I also love it to dress up your everyday roast chicken and shrimp skewers as well.

How about you? What’s your favorite make-it-in-the-blender dip?