Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
One of my favorite condiments ever, this sun-dried tomato pesto (or paste) is incredibly easy to make, lasts for a week, and can be ready in 15 minutes! Get the pasta going and enjoy a great meal in less than thirty minutes.
Servings 2 cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- ¾ cup packed stemmed fresh parsley
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 2 medium shallots
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- ½ cup olive oil or to taste
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Put 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl, cover with boiling water and let soften for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain. Chop very coarsely.
- In the bowl of a food processor or a regular bowl if using an immersion blender, put the chopped tomatoes, ¾ cup parsley, ½ cup pine nuts (or walnuts), 2 medium shallots, 1 garlic clove, ¼ teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste.
- Add ¼ cup olive oil and process until a paste starts to form.
- With a spatula, clear the sides of the bowl, and taste. Add 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar and more salt and pepper if necessary.
- With the machine running, add ¼ cup more olive oil in a thin stream. Clear the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- The pesto is done when it's as chunkier or smooth as you want. You might not need the whole amount of oil. Check a final time for salt, pepper and vinegar and adjust if needed.
Notes
Tomatoes: be sure to hydrate them well and chop them before mixing. Or buy the ready ones that come packed in olive oil and have a jar in the fridge at all times.
Nuts: use pine nuts or walnuts. Be very careful if you're toasting them, especially pine nuts, as they can burn in seconds. Always keep them in the fridge or the freezer (my choice). They can turn bitter and give you what is called pine nut mouth, a situation you don't want to get into. This is avoidable if you buy fresh nuts from reliable sources and keep them frozen. This goes for all nuts, not only pine nuts.
Keeping: it keeps well for a week at least. A glass jar with a tight lid works best. I use old marmalade or mason jars. And make sure it has a thin layer of olive oil in the top (image above). This will prevent it from oxidizing and darkening. If that happens, simply remove that top layer with a spoon; you will see that beneath the pesto is bright red (similar to what happens with guacamole).
