Easily one of the best things about Italy is the divine cuisine available throughout all of the various cities and towns. Not only is the food delicious in all regions of Italy, but it changes quite dramatically as well as you go from one area to another. While many travelers simply enjoy the fine Italian cuisine while they are in the country, others are able to bring the taste of Italy home by whipping up some easy Italian food at home.
Red Pesto Sauce
Easy to make and simple to store, red pesto sauce makes an excellent staple for many get-togethers or casual dinners in with family or friends. Making the sauce takes very little time and your efforts will be well rewarded as the red pesto sauce can easily be stored for more than a month in the refrigerator using a thin coating of olive oil over the top.
To make the red pesto sauce, start with the following ingredients:
10 sun-dried tomatoes
1 minced fresh garlic clove
1 teaspoon of crushed red peppers
6 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
20 salt-cured black olives
2 teaspoons thyme leaves – minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves – minced
Drain the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes and put them aside while you mince and prepare all of the other ingredients. Once you have everything ready, simply combine all ingredients in a food processor and turn the processor on. The sauce should be combined, but still be chunky – this is not the sort of sauce that you want smooth, it needs a little thickness.
Once you’ve blended your ingredients, store them in the fridge under a coating of olive oil to preserve the ingredients. When you’re ready to enjoy fresh pasta and pesto sauce, cook your pasta and set aside about half a cup of the pesto sauce. Then, as the pasta is almost finished, toss a couple of spoonfuls of water in with the sauce to loosen it up.
Drain off the pasta, but keep another cup of the water you used to boil it. Dump the hot pasta into the bowl with the pesto sauce and toss it. The pasta should appear wet. Use the cup of boiled water to add a bit of extra fluid to the pasta if it appears to be dry. Serve your meal immediately with fresh parsley.
Tip! This recipe works best with short or small pasta dishes.
