Being a fanatic of pesto, the red pepper in this recipe caught my attention. I have never thought about including red pepper before so I thought I'd give it a try. It was heavenly, brimming with flavour, thanks to the red pepper and basil.
One will notice that it's certainly not the same as an ordinary pesto. You will probably have the ingredients to hand so this recipe is super easy and can be prepared and cooked very quickly in 6 simple steps.
Cook Time: 20 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
400g pasta of your choice
salt
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium-sized onion, finely diced
2 red peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
235 ml vegetable or chicken stock
freshly ground black pepper
60 ml heavy cream
2 tbsp chopped parsley, plus more for serving
several leaves fresh basil, chopped, plus more for serving
40g Parmesan shavings, plus more for serving
Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of slated water to the boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
2. Meanwhile, add the oil and butter to a large pan over medium to high heat and melt the butter. Add the minced garlic and chopped onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add the chopped red peppers and cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. Carefully transfer the contents pf the pan to a food processor or blender. Put on the lid and purée the pepper mixture (there will still be some texture to the peppers.)
4. Pour the red pepper purée back into the pan. Add the stock, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt and some pepper and stir well.
5. Add the cream and stir again to combine. Add the parsley and basil, stirring again to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
6. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan. Add the Parmesan and stir to coat the pasta.
7. Serve with extra Parmesan with extra parsley and basil on top.