Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
Submitted by karen_noll on August 28, 2003 at 1:02 pm

1 7 1/2 oz. jar of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, to taste
Large handful pignoli nuts
Fresh basil and oregano, if available, otherwise about a 1/2 tsp. each of dried
Large handful Parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil

Toast pignoli nuts lightly in dry skillet. Set aside to cool slightly.

Put entire contents of jar of sun dried tomatoes in bowl of your food processor. Add garlic cloves, Parmesan, herbs, and pignoli nuts. Process till fairly smooth. With motor running, stream olive oil slowly into processor until desired consistency is reached (about 1/4 - 1/2 cup oil).

Toss over hot drained pasta. One 7 1/2 jar of sun dried tomatoes will make enough pesto for about 1 lb. of pasta.

Proportions here are approximate, and can be adjusted as you wish. This recipe can be modified to include whatever you have on hand, such as capers, olives, other fresh or dried herbs. If you prefer a less intensely flavored pasta sauce, this can be combined with your favorite tomato sauce, or thinned with chicken stock if you want to cut back on the oil. Freezes well.