I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to post this recipe. This is one of my absolute favourite things, I put it on everything. It makes just about every sandwich and wrap taste better, makes a nice base for crostini, and is a key component of these Roasted Eggplant and Asparagus Rolls.
For best results, I use semi-dried tomatoes. A semi-dried tomato is similar to a dried apricot. It’s dry, but still succulent enough that you can eat it out of the bag. They seem to be quite common in Montreal; I find them at Anatol and Milano. For my Kansas friends? Good luck. All I can ever find when I’m back there are super-expensive, very dry tomatoes, or super-expensive oil-packed tomatoes. If you’re using dry, rehydrate them in water until they soften up. If using oil-packed, drain them and adjust the amount of oil you use accordingly. If you have a garden, semi-dry your own! If you need me to ship you a bag, tawk to me. Whatever it takes to help you get this into your face, I’ll help.
INGREDIENTS – Makes about 1.5 cups
1 cup semi-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup raw, unsalted nuts (walnuts, mixed nuts, sunflower seeds, your choice)
2 cloves garlic*
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- Whiz together the nuts, garlic, salt, and lemon juice in a food processor until crumbly.
- Add tomatoes and oil and process until you reach desired consistency.
- This will yield a pretty thick spread. For a thinner pesto, use more oil.
- Store in an air-tight container in the fridge!
* If you’re sensitive to garlic, or just don’t like having garlic breath, take the edge off by roasting your garlic.
I loved working in the kitchen with that man, and I still miss him dearly. Thanks for bringing him to mind 🙂
yumyum! I remember this from Fortel, he'd put fresh parm in it 😉
My FAVOURITE!