Red Pesto Sauce

Discover Red Pesto...

Pesto Rosso

Red Pesto

When should I make it?

You can make this all year round. You can always make a large batch and put it into small jars and freeze it for when you need it

You should certainly avoid the pre-made jars which are often packed full of preservatives and just don't taste anything like as nice as when you make it yourself.

How long will it take?

The sauce itself should only take about 25 minutes if you're roasting your own peppers and using a food processor to make the sauce. You could save time and buy some good quality roast peppers from a good Italian delicatessen. It might take a little longer if you're using a pestle and mortar.

What ingredients do I need?

You will need:

200g Sun bulsh / sun dried tomatoes
About 4 chargrilled red peppers with skins removed (optional)
A good bunch of fresh basil leaves (remove stalks)
(35g) Pine nuts
3 x Garlic cloves
1 x Fresh chilli (optional)
(80ml) Olive oil
(30g) Parmasan cheese
Salt & Black Pepper

The quantities are a guideline, feel free to add more of the ingredient you like the most and less of those that you like less. The red peppers are not strictly part of the recipe but do give an extra dimesion to the sauce.

Can I use any alternatives if I can find certain ingredients?

You could use fresh rocket leaves instead of (or even in addition to) fresh basil.

What preparation do I need to do / what can I do in advance?

Roast or chargrill the peppers and once blackened remove and leave to cool in a bag to make removing the skin easier once they've cooled. Remove the stalks from the basil, peel the garlic and you're pretty much ready to go!

Red Pesto

What are the main steps?

It couldn't be easier... just put all the ingredients into a food processor and whizz (or bash the ingredients together with a pestle and mortar adding the olive oil at the end)!

Once you have a smooth paste, try it! You may need to adjust the seasoning. If it is too dry, add some more olive oil. The important thing is to make it the way you like it! If you're a fan of garlic....add another clove or two. If you like spice... add more chilli!!

How should I serve it?

It is traditionally eaten with linguini, but you can use spaghetti, tagliatelle or penne! Simply add the sauce to your drained pasta and mix and coat well before serving.

Alternatively, make a pasta salad (rince the cooked pasta in cold water after cooking to stop it cooking and cool it down) and then add your pesto sauce and a squeeze of fresh lemon. You could make a pesto rice salad in the same way.

Are there any variations to this recipe that I could try?

Why not try the recipe for green pesto? You could also try making it with Pecorino cheese and walnuts.

What are the origins of this recipe?

Red pesto originates from Sicilly.

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