Three Pepper Pesto Recipes

THREE PEPPER PESTO

Steps:

• Place the Parmesan cheese and olive oil in a blender or food processor; blend until smooth. Add the red bell pepper, basil, red pepper flakes, and black pepper; blend again until smooth.

THREE-PEPPER PASTA WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Cook ziti as directed on package. Drain.
• Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add bell peppers; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until onion and peppers are crisp-tender, stirring frequently.
• Add cooked ziti; stir gently to mix. Remove from heat; stir in pesto and vinegar. If desired, add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cheese.
• TIP: If balsamic vinegar isn't a staple in your pantry, use 2 teaspoons cider vinegar and a pinch of brown sugar instead.

ROAST PEPPER PESTO WITH PASTA

Steps:

• Remove the skin from the roasted garlic cloves. In the small bowl of a food processor, whizz the roasted peppers, garlic, cayenne, almonds, Parmesan and oil until it makes a rough pesto consistency. Taste and season.
• Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta following pack instructions. Drain, reserving a little cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan with the pesto, basil and a little of the cooking water, then heat through. Serve with extra Parmesan, if you like.

THREE PEPPER PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside; keep warm.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees, toast pine nuts on a cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes, do not over toast.
• Transfer pine nuts to a food processor.
• Spray an unheated large skillet with olive oil no stick spray - or use 1 teaspoons olive oil. Add the red, yellow and green peppers. Stir in the onions and garlic.
• Cook over medium heat for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, add basil and garlic to blender or food processor. Blend until finely chopped. Slowly pour oil, then chicken broth in thin streams with the blender/processor running.
• Gradually add Parmesan cheese, a paste will form.
• Toss paste with pasta, divide amongst 4-6 plates.
• Top with pepper mixture.
• ((If you want to use as an entire meal add a cooked chicken breast cut into strips into the pepper mixture and cook with the peppers. Add a little extra olive oil and cook until the peppers and onions are tender.)).

RED PEPPER PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread pine nuts on a baking sheet and bake until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove and let cool.
• Place peppers directly over the trivet of a gas-stove burner over high heat, or on a grill. Just as each section turns puffy and black, turn pepper with tongs to prevent overcooking. (If you don't have a gas stove, place peppers on a baking pan, and broil in the oven, turning as each side becomes charred.) Transfer peppers to a large bowl, and cover immediately with plastic wrap. Let peppers sweat until they are cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes; then transfer to a work surface. Peel off the blackened skin and discard.
• Coarsely chop peppers and transfer to a food processor. Add pine nuts. With machine running, add olive oil in a steady stream. Continue processing, scraping down the sides as needed until pureed. Season with salt and pepper.