Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Recipe. Tapenade Variation

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

I just love sun-dried tomatoes, and never miss a chance to include them in dishes where I think they will fit. In this dip, pairing the  glorious sun-dried tomato with basil and roasted red peppers is a surefire hit. This red pesto is another distinguished member of the pesto family! Here’s the original classic green pesto recipe!

Play with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto!

It could go in so many exciting directions!

Spread it as is on toast or bruschetta, or with vegetables as a dip.

Mix with a little low-fat mayonnaise, silken tofu, or yogurt (dairy-free OK), and get another variation on the original dip.

• 

  Use it as pesto: Boil some noodles and mix 1 cup of the cooking liquid into the mixture, and get a pasta sauce.

• Mix with a little white wine and get a sauce for chicken or fish.

Don’t be afraid to make a larger batch: It freezes very well.

Please note I have no salt listed in the recipe, as I trust the tomatoes, olives and capers will provide more than enough salt. In fact I instruct you to rinse all of them so you end up with an overly salty dip.

Tapenade

Pesto’s funky and pungent cousin. In this pesto variation, the olive is the star. The end result will vary in shade depending on the color olives you use. With tapenade, skip the nuts and the cheese.

Ingredients

• 1 cup basil leaves, packed
• 6 large cloves garlic
• 2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed, rinsed and squeezed dry
• 2 red roasted peppers, bottled OK
• Ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup - 1 cup toasted walnuts or almonds
• 1/2 cup -1 cup parmesan (feta cheese will be delicious too)

Instructions