Creamy and so full of flavour this Pesto Rosso (red pesto) is perfect to serve with pasta or as a spread with toasted bread. Ricotta adds a nice texture to this recipe and allows you to use less oil!
100gr(⅔ cup) sicilian pecorino cheese, or parmesan
10gr(¾ cup) basil leaves
60gr(½ cup) extravirgin olive oil
50gr(⅓ cup) pine nuts
1garlic clove
salt and pepper
Instructions
Cut tomatoes on halves, remove the core and discard seeds. Place them to drain on a colander for about 20 minutes.
In a food processor place the tomatoes, basil, pecorino, pine nuts, and the garlic clove (see notes).
Add salt and pepper (just a little bit, you’ll adjust later) and then pour in the olive oil.
Pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped or until you reach the desired consistency.
Place the mixture in a medium bowl. Add ricotta and season with salt and pepper. Mix until everything is combined.
Put pesto large jar and pour some olive oil on top. Store in fridge for up to 2 days.
Notes
If you have a small food processor you can work in batches adding small amounts of the ingredients each time.
I like my pesto to be a little bit “rustic” with some small bites of tomato and basil here and there. So I just do a few pulses with the food processor.
If your garlic is a bit old, remove the green germ that has grew on the inside.
You can also blench the tomatoes and peel them before deseeding.
Do you want your pesto to have a little more color? Add one teaspoon of tomato paste.
I like to add some fresh red chilli peppers on the mix sometimes. It gives a nice spicy touch!
The recipe yields 6 servings of pesto to use with pasta. Each serving of pasta is about 60-80 gr uncooked (2.1 or 2.8 oz).
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1grams | Calories: 260kcal
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