Sundried Tomato Pesto

23Apr Light Bites 10 comments

Sundried Tomato Pesto

This recipe is wonderful – very dense and delicious. The measurements are not exact, however there is no way to mess this up.

Six oven dried tomatoes (see Cathi’s Oven Dried Tomatoes)
1 whole bulb roasted garlic
1 clove fresh garlic, coarsely chopped
1 handful fresh basil (about 1/2 cup of leaves)
Oil from Garlic Confit
Salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in a food processor and begin processing. As you run the machine, drizzle in the oil just a little at a time, until the mixture becomes cohesive but is not oily. Season the pesto with salt and pepper and process for another second or two. Serve this flavorful pesto over hot pasta or as a spread. The flavor is intense, deep and rich, so a little goes a long way.

If desire you may add grated cheese and pine nuts for a more traditional pesto. However if you plan on freezing this pesto do not add cheese or nuts until just prior to serving.

Delicious as a spread for bread and adds tomato punch to dressings or sauces.

About the author

Written by

Toni Fiore was raised by an Italian-American father and a German mother who instilled in her a sociable nature and the love of travel and of good food. She has lived in Italy and Germany and now resides in southern Maine. She is the author of: Totally Vegetarian: Easy, Fast, Comforting Cooking for Every Kind of Vegetarian

10 Responses

  1. Happened to catch your show for the first time on 9/21/07 on Maine PBS (I live in Aroostook County) … what a wonderful program and website … have already printed out several recipes to try and am eager to try the oven dried tomatoes recipe … thanks for sharing all your wonderful knowledge … Carole

  2. Thank you Carole! That’s so nice to hear. We hope you be able to watch and that you’ll enjoy the rest of the season. Best wishes, Toni

  3. what is garlic confit?

  4. Hi Vivian, Confit is a cooking term for foods that are preserved by being salted or cooked down slowly in their own fat. Since garlic has no fat it is slightly submerged in the olive oil to accomplish the same effect. Confit also describes fruit or vegetables reduced down to the consistency of jam. Try this garlic confit, it’s delicious! Thanks for writing. Take care, Toni

  5. WHERE CAN I FIND THE BREAD RECIPIE USED TO EAT THE GARLIC AND OLIVE OIL? COULD YOU PLEASE SEND IT TO ME?
    I REALLY ENJOY YOUR SHOW.
    THANK YOU,
    LINDA

  6. I saw the show March 27th for the first was a great show! Awsome resipes was wondering what kinda of bread that was you used to dip in the garlic oil? Could you email me the recipie or tell me i can get it.? Thanks again i love you show,
    Lorretta

  7. Hi Lorretta,
    We used a flatbread and the bread recipe is on our website. It’s called Grilled Focaccia, however the recipe can be baked. Look under the EPISODE tab then scroll to the second page, under
    episode#10. I don’t often bake so I’ll pick something up at the market. This garlic/oil is delicious even with a nice slice of hearty Tuscan bread. Thank you for your kind comment and for watching DTV! Toni

  8. Just happened to turn on the TV and caught your show on PBS in San Diego….having just harvested a crop of little tomatoes (cherry,grape) I’m eager to try to oven dry them since I’m about to be inundated!

  9. Today is my first time watching the show. I can’t wait to make the oven dried tomatoes and the recipes that follow. I do have one problem. I collect alot of recipes and it’s so much easier if the pictures are on the recipes. It makes it much easier to look up with pictures than reading.
    Thank you.

  10. What an awesome recipe. It does take some time to dry the tomatos though. We used Rotini pasta which worked great as the pesto was captured in the spirals of the pasta…what a great dinner. Thanks!

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