Pesto Rosso

When Sonali at The Foodie Physician posted this Pesto Rosso, I was immediately taken with it. Suddenly I wanted nothing but to make her lovely red pesto. With all the fresh garden tomatoes in my kitchen at the time, I couldn’t bring myself to go buy sundried tomatoes to make this, so I decided to try oven-drying some of them. It worked! I got some really lovely oven-dried tomatoes out of it. I didn’t pack them in oil, though. I just stuck them in a bag and put them in the fridge. They softened up a bit in the fridge, but much to my joy, they had the same lovely sundried tomato taste. So I used them in the pesto rosso and it turned out just as wonderful as I had imagined.

If you want to try oven-drying your tomatoes, here is the post from Love the secret ingredient on how to “sun” dry your tomatoes in the oven. She says it takes 5-6 hours, but it took my tomatoes about 9 hours to dry. I think it really depends on your oven.

Here are some suggestions from Sonali at The Foodie Physician on how to use this marvelous tomato-based pesto:

• Mix with a little pasta water and toss with hot pasta. Top with shredded Parmesan. Instant dinner!
• Spread it on hot or cold sandwiches- anything from turkey sandwiches to grilled cheese
• Top grilled chicken breasts, fish or other meats with it
• Mix it with a little ricotta or goat cheese and use it as a stuffing for chicken breasts or pork chops (or lasagna!)
• Add flavor to vegetarian or egg dishes- try stirring a spoonful into sautéed vegetables or a frittata
• Mix it with Greek yogurt to make a healthy dip for vegetables or chips
• Spread it on garlic bread for an extra hit of flavor
• Use it onto homemade pizza dough as an alternative to tomato sauce
• Spread it on toasted country bread and top it off with some arugula and shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano for a healthy snack (actually, it’s great on bread all by itself!)

I think it would also be marvelous to stir a spoonful or two into an Italian soup, or use a spoonful as a beautiful & tasty garnish on top of a thick, creamy soup.

Pesto Rosso

Adapted only very slightly from The Foodie Physician. Makes about 1 1/3 cups pesto or 8 servings.

• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes
• 1 – 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Several fresh basil leaves
• A sprig of fresh rosemary

• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 5 ounces small tomatoes (cherry or grape would work well … I had some tiny romas from mom’s garden that seemed perfect)
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup grated Asiago cheese (Sonali recommends Parmigiano Reggiano, but I had Asiago on hand …)

Directions:

1. Place the almonds, sundried tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, and herbs in a handi chopper or food processor. Pulse several times until everything is finely chopped.
2. Add the balsamic vinegar, tomatoes, and olive oil and process until the tomatoes are finely chopped. (Sonali says to add the olive oil in a steady stream while the processor is on … my handi chopper doesn’t allow for that.)
3. Add the cheese and pulse just a couple times to mix it in fully.

This recipe was shared at Cast Party Wednesday, Lifeologia’s Birthday Party Potluck and All my Bloggy Friends.

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