Pepper Pesto

Another Wednesday night dinner, another chance at meal creativity. We had a bunch of extra parsley that needed to be used, so we immediately thought of making pesto. I didn't want to make any sort of ordinary pesto though; what fun would that be? I decided to add some pizazz by roasting red peppers and combining them with the typical herbs and pine nuts of pesto. Tossed with pasta and served with a side of fish for the guys, this easy meal was quite a hit.


Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

3 red peppers
1 bunch basil
1 bunch parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 to 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup olive oil, or to desired consistency
1 lbs. pasta, we used spaghetti, but you could use any type you have

1. Preheat the oven to high broil. Place the red peppers on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. Broil the peppers, turning often, so that they char on all sides. Place in a plastic bag or covered bowl.
2. In a food processor, combine basil, parsley, garlic, pine nuts, cheese, salt and pepper. Pulse until finely minced. Peel the red peppers to remove the charred skin, stems, and seeds. Add 2 of the peppers to the food processor. Pulse once again until the pepper is minced. While the food processor is running, drizzle the olive oil into the spout until you have reached your desired consistency of pesto. It should be loose so that you can easily toss it with the pasta.
3. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
4. Slice the third red pepper.
5. Toss together the pasta, sliced red pepper, and pesto. Top with extra Parmesan cheese, if desired.