While the green basil sauce is usually the first to come to mind when one thinks of pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto is just as delicious – it's excellent with pasta, salads, and. yes, even pasta salads.
Which sun-dried tomatoes are best?
Oil-preserved sun-dried tomatoes work best - they're super soft, but not too salty.
If using fresh sun-dried tomatoes, soak them in oil for a couple of hours to soften them a bit. The recipe remains the same – these tomatoes will be blended with the other ingredients.
Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Sauce Recipe
Drain 1 lb. of sun-dried tomatoes in oil and blend with a handful of pine nuts and almonds.
Determine the amount of nuts you want to add based on the consistency you’re seeking – if you want the sauce to be a bit crunchier, add more nuts. Also, blending the ingredients coarsely preserves the crunchy factor of the pine nuts and almonds.
Next, add some fresh basil leaves and blend once more.
For a creamier pesto sauce, add a little extra-virgin olive oil – without going overboard, especially if the base contains the oil-preserved sun-dried tomatoes.
Don’t add any extra salt – the tomatoes are salty enough as is.
For a result that recalls the classic pesto alla genovese, add more basil leaves – the result will be more delicate and fragrant.
If you'd like the sauce to have a kick, add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
For a slightly acidic aftertaste, add a handful of desalinated capers.
Sicilian pesto
Don't confuse sun-dried tomato pesto with Sicilian pesto. Pesto alla siciliana is made with raw and fresh copper tomatoes – and the ingredients also call for ricotta and Parmigiano. The rich and creamy sauce tastes excellent with pasta.