In the name of flavor and speed of execution, this quick sun-dried tomato pesto!
Puglia, like all regions of Southern Italy, has among its many regional specialties, the sun-dried tomatoes that were once made by drying San Marzano tomatoes cut in half under the sun on a grate; they were brought in at night to prevent moisture, and then the process was repeated until the tomatoes dried, losing their juice and becoming a flavor concentrate! Today, this practice is not as common, mainly due to industrial dryers.
Very flavorful, and thus with a few other ingredients such as oil, basil, and oregano, we can obtain a fragrant and very tasty condiment, perfect for pasta but also on bruschetta.
You can make it while the pasta water is boiling, so let’s not waste any more time and head to the kitchen to prepare the quick sun-dried tomato pesto!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 3 Minutes
- Portions: 2
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 231.19 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 10.86 (g) of which sugars 0.62 (g)
- Proteins 2.08 (g)
- Fat 21.29 (g) of which saturated 2.99 (g)of which unsaturated 1.92 (g)
- Fibers 1.56 (g)
- Sodium 113.94 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 30 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 15 sun-dried tomatoes in oil (well drained)
- 4 leaves basil
- 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- to taste oregano (fresh or dried)
- 1 slice rustic bread (a few days old)
Tools
To best chop the ingredients, I find this chopper very useful
- 1 Chopper
Steps
– Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta, and when it reaches boiling, add the pasta of your choice, add salt, and cook.
– Combine in the chopper’s cup the sun-dried tomatoes (well patted dry), washed and dried basil leaves, a tablespoon of breadcrumbs, and some fresh oregano leaves (or a pinch of dried oregano). Chop for a few seconds, then add the oil.
– Pour a tablespoon of oil into a pan, heat it, and add the pesto; add a teaspoon of tomato paste and dilute with a few tablespoons of cooking water. Cook for a couple of minutes (then assess whether to keep the pan on or off depending on the pasta’s cooking time, and turn it back on when you’re about to toss the pasta)
– Without rinsing the chopper’s cup, chop the bread and then toast the chopped bread in the pan without any seasoning.
– Drain the pasta al dente, and finish cooking it in the pan with the sun-dried tomato pesto, using the cooking water to complete the preparation. Off the heat, add part of the flavored bread crumbs to the pan, and then the rest directly onto the plate.
Tips:
– Use high-quality sun-dried tomatoes for a superior condiment.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
– I don’t have tomato paste, do I need to use it?
– Tomato paste is used to give a more “pronounced” flavor, but you can easily omit it.
– I don’t have extra virgin olive oil, what can I use instead?
– Use the oil you normally use in cooking.
– I don’t like oregano, do I have to use it?
– If you don’t like it, don’t use it.
– What pasta shape can I use besides penne?
– Spaghetti
