Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Submitted by Marlene Metherel
THIS IS DELICIOUS!

Ingredients

1 c Sun-dried tomatoes

3 large peeled garlic cloves

1/3 c whole almonds

1/3 c pine nuts

1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

1 tbs ground five blend peppercorns (I used whole peppercorns and just put them in when processing)

1 tsp sea salt

3/4 c extra-virgin olive oil (I used 2x this amount as it's quite thick)

Directions

Place the tomatoes in a bowl and cover them with hot water. Let soak for 30 minutes. Drain well and place in a food processor with a fitted metal blade.

Add the garlic and process until pureed. Add almonds, pine nuts, cheese, pepper & salt. Process again, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until smooth.

With the machine running, slowly pour in the oil in a thin steady stream until you have a smooth puree.

The amount of oil determines how thick your pesto will be. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

To serve, toss the pesto with 1 lb. of hot cooked pasta.

Notes: I don't have a food processor, just a 1 cup grinder. The tomatoes wouldn't puree by themselves so ended up with all ingredients but the oil at first. (amt that would fit) I puréed some then added oil and it turned out great. It had some chunks of nuts and peppercorn.

Variations to try:

Different nuts or seeds (sunflower, pumpkin)
Basil or other mild herbs
Spice up with jalapeno pepper, nutmeg (pinch)
Serve over veggies or on a pizza base instead of tomato sauce.
To make a creamy pesto add some cream until you reach desired consistency.
I think would be good on top of crusty loaf that has been cut and heated.

Enjoy!