A different sort of sauce
Sometimes you just get tired of plain old spaghetti sauce and crave something a little tastier and heartier.
It's those times that you probably want to go for a pesto...not a tomato-based sauce, but something with a little more of a flavor zing and a brighter taste.
Most commonly, pesto's main ingredient is basil. but just about any herb or veggie can be the basis of this sauce. I happen to love roasted red peppers, so that's what I use to pull this sauce together. Pine nuts are what sets pesto apart from traditional sauces.
Historically, pesto is prepared in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle. Both my mortar and pestle are wood, but I think a blender is the easier route to makng this dish.
The flavoring vegetables (peppers) are crushed in the mortar with garlic and coarse salt, and crushed to a creamy consistency. The pine nuts are added and crushed together with the other ingredients. When the nuts are well-incorporated into the "cream", grated cheese or olive oil can be added and mixed with a wooden spoon. In a tight jar (or simply in an air-tight plastic container), pesto can last in the refrigerator up to a week, and can also be frozen for later use.
We'll just make it a little easier and a little faster so you can get down to the fun part - eating it - a little faster.
Red Pepper Pesto1 tablespoon of pine nuts
1 small garlic clove, smashed
1/4 cup basil leaves, plus 2 tablespoons chopped basil
1/4 cup of olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of grated hard cheese of your choice
- In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat until they turn a lovelt golden color, about 4 minutes.
- Let them cool.
- Put the roasted red peppers and the pine nuts into a blender.
- Add the garlic and the whole basil leaves and chop them coarsely in the blender.
- Add the olive oil and cheese and puree to a chunky pesto. Season with salt and pepper.
