I wanted to make my Torte di Pasta, but didn’t feel like spending a lot of money on fresh basil when it is out of season.
My grocery store carries dried red bell peppers for $1.99 for a 3oz package. I thought this would make a nice pesto, and was right. I’ve seen them in the produce sections of a lot of grocery stores lately so I don’t think they’re that hard to find. This is kind of a play on muhammara.
Items
- 3oz dried red bell peppers, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup shelled walnuts
- 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1-2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese (I *gasp* used the stuff in the green can this time, and it was good)
- Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Method
- Process the peppers and walnuts in the food processor until finely chopped.
- Add the garlic and process some more.
- With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture comes together in a ball and then loosens up into a smooth paste. The peppers themselves are fairly sticky, so you’ll want a moderate amount of oil.
- Add the red pepper flakes, paprika, salt, cheese, and pepper. Process a bit more.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups of pesto. Doubles easily. The flavor deepens and improves in the fridge over time. This is also easily varied. Smoked Spanish-style paprika would give a great extra note. Pine nuts could substitute for the walnuts, or be skipped altogether, although I’d wonder about the texture. You could also adjust this considerably and skip the nuts and cheese, add considerably more oil, strain the results after a day or so, and give yourself a fabulous, ruby-red flavored olive oil that would be great in and on just about anything.
If you want to serve this on pasta, I’d recommend thinning the pesto with a bit of the salted cooking water before applying it, or it tends to clump up.
