Blanching tomatoes is an important technique to know in order to peel tomatoes. In cooked preparations, like Roasted Garlic Romesco, the skin of the tomato can really be a pesky textural distraction, so it’s best to get rid of them. Here’s how:

Blanched tomatoes cooling in an ice bath.

1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Have an ice bath ready on stand-by.
2. With a paring knife, lightly carve an x across the bottom of the tomatoes (blossom end).
3. Carefully drop tomatoes in boiling water. Return to a boil as quickly as possible. Cook 30-60 seconds, until the skin begins to pull from the flesh around the x.
4. Remove tomatoes to ice bath. Chill at least 5 minutes. Peel.