Recipe: Red Pesto

This easy-to-make, versatile sauce can be eaten with pasta or simply on bread. The recipe is not only tasty but also a storehouse of vitamins: sun-dried tomatoes are rich in Vitamin C, pine nuts in Vitamins E and K and basil in Vitamin A.

Ingredients

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
Handful of fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup rough-grated Parmesan cheese
Juice of 1-2 lemons
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1tsp chilli flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
(Optional: 2-3 cloves of garlic can be included if desired)

Method

1. Soak sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for about 1 hour, drain but keep some of the water.

2.  In a grinder, add all the ingredients along with half the quantity of olive oil and a few teaspoons of water to make a paste-like texture.

3. Remove from the grinder into a bowl and add the remaining olive oil.

See also: Summer Chickpea and Mint Salad