Pasta With Red Pepper Pesto - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 None red bell peppers
3 cloves garlic
6 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp pine nuts
5 stems basil
1-2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 pinch ground allspice
400 g pasta, ie. linguine
None None coarse pepper for garnish
None None aluminum foil
None None freezer bags

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425\u00b0F. Place the peppers on a baking tray and drizzle with 1 tbsp oil. Place the peppers and the garlic packet in the oven and bake for about 20 mins, until the skin of the peppers is blistered. Meanwhile, heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and fry the pine nuts until light brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Remove the peppers from the oven and place in a plastic bag. Close the bag and allow to steam for about 15 mins. Once cool enough to handle, remove the skin then chop 1/2 the peppers into small cubes.
Remove the garlic from the foil and press the soft cloves out of their skins. Place in a food processor with the remaining whole peppers, basil leaves, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese and puree. Slowly add the remaining olive oil and season then add the allspice and balsamic vinegar. If the pesto is too thick, thin out with a little stock or water. Remove from the food processor and mix in the pepper cubes.
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the package instructions. Drain and serve immediately with the red pepper pesto. Garnish with the reserved basil sprigs and sprinkle with coarse pepper.