“Surprise!”
Dom came home with a beautiful jar of chili peppers the other day. He has a friend who’s been canning for years and has on more than one occasion shared the fruits of his labor with us. As soon as I saw those little fiery beauties – I knew what I was making. Chili Pepper Pesto.
Chili Pepper Pesto made with chilis, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, garlic and olive oil is what I imagine a hot summer day in August would taste like. Colors bright, flavors spicy and lingering that slowly dissipate like a 95 degree sunshiny day turned 85 degrees in its slow descent toward dusk…
Chili Pepper Pesto delivers perfect waves of heat in a savory sun-dried tomato paste mixture. It can be used to dress up just about anything from bruschetta to marinara, chicken to pasta.
You can use a mortar and pestle or a food processor to create this delectable mixture.
Confession…it was all I could do to keep from eating the entire jar while I was photographing this post. As delicious as it is on bread and pasta, I love it just as much straight from the jar.
Thankfully I exerted some self-control because it was perfect for dinner. We mixed a bit into tomato sauce then added an extra dollop with some grated Parmesan over a dish of spaghetti.
It was a nica-spicy-sauca {in best Italian accent}.
Buon Appetito!
Chili Pepper Pesto
Description
Chili Pepper Pesto made with chilis, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, garlic and olive oil is what I imagine a hot summer day in August would taste like.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup chili peppers
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash and dry your basil.
- Combine basil, chili peppers, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes in a food-processor.
- Pulse mixture until you achieve a nice chopped “mulch”.
- Add olive oil, salt and pepper, and give it a nice stir.
- Put pesto in a glass jar and top with more olive oil.
- Store in the fridge.
(*Recipe adapted from David Rocco.)
Ciao!
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Karen Edwards says
You know who else would love this…that’s right, TOM!!!! I HAVE to make it!!!
Annie says
You took the words right out of my mouth! He will love it!!
Lucy says
I am so glad I was present for the making of this scrumptious spread. MMM!
Annie says
I love when you hang in the kitchen with me…