Red Pepper Pesto

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Title: RED PEPPER PESTO
Categories: Condiments
Yield: 1 Servings

3 oz Sun-dried tomatoes
1 1/3 c Sweet red peppers;roast/chop
1/2 c Kalamata olive;pitted/choppd
1/3 c Flat-leaf parsley; chopped
1/3 c Basil, fresh; finely chopped
3 Cloves garlic; minced
3 tb Olive oil
1 ts Balsamic vinegar
Fresh-ground black pepper
Salt to taste

Put the sun-dried tomatoes into a bowl and pour boiling water over
them just to cover. Leave them to soak for 20-30 minutes.

If using canned peppers, rinse and drain them well, and blot them on
paper towels, then chop them pretty finely. Combine them with the
chopped Kalamata olives, the chopped fresh herbs, and the minced
garlic.

Drain the sun-dried tomatoes, reserving the water, and press them
gently in a colander. Pulse them in a food processor until they are
finely chopped. (Don't use the food processor for the other
ingredients, as it can too easily turn them into mush, and you want
to keep a little texture in this spread.) Add the olive oil and
vinegar, pulse again, scraping down as needed, until no large chunks
of tomato are left.

If you do not have a food processor, just finely chop the soaked
sun-dried tomatoes as you do all the other ingredients. It will only
take a little longer.

Combine the tomato mixture with the other ingredients, mix well, and
taste. Grind in some black pepper if you like, and add some salt if
needed, though probably the olives provide enough. If the pesto is too
thick for your taste, moisten it with a few drops of the reserved
tomato water until it has the consistency you like. The texture
should be somewhere between thick pesto and soft pate.

Source: "The New Vegetarian Epicure" by Anna Thomas

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