Rockin' Roasted Red Pepper Pesto
This recipe is 20 pounds of delicious in a 5 pound bag!
The dish is fairly easy to make. If you already have the roasted red peppers
it's simple. Since I'll be making this from scratch there is another step
involved regarding the roasted peppers.
Difficulty (Scale from 1-10): 6
Makes: 6-8 servings of pasta
Ingredients
3 1/2 Cups of Roasted Bell Peppers (or 6 red bell peppers to make 3 1/2 cups of
roasted red bell peppers - See instructions for preparation)
1 cup of basil (stems trimmed - pack measuring cup to medium density, don't
over-pack)
1 cup of chopped celery
1 jalapeño pepper (de-seeded, and de-veined)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic (Be careful test 2 cloves first as this recipe is based on
the gentle flavors of the red bell pepper)
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Preparation
Roasted Red Peppers:
Spray a large baking pan with cooking oil spray and place the peppers on it. Set
the pan under your broiler (set to High) with the peppers 2-3 inches away from
the broiler. Pay careful attention and when peppers char and blister, turn over
by quarter turns. Keep turning until all sides are charred and blistered, then
remove the pan from broiler and let the peppers cool. After cooling peel off the
skin and remove the stem and seeds from the peppers.
Now your roasted red bell peppers are ready to use!
Pesto Preparation:
In a blender:
Combine roasted red peppers, celery, jalapeño pepper, basil, olive oil, heavy
cream, parsley, garlic, and parmesan cheese. Liquefy ingredients in the blender
and add salt and pepper to your taste.
Add half of the pesto sauce to 1 pound of cooked pasta. Reserve the other half
for those who would like extra sauce.
Enjoy your meal!!!