Pesto Rosso, a meme

I have a confession to make….

All the times I have raved about Pesto Rosso, and we love Pesto Rosso, it’s been a store-bought Pesto Rosso.

Barilla to be exact.

When I did the Pesto Rosso Pizza one of my readers asked if I could post the recipe for the Pesto Rosso.

Hmmmm…..

Pride dictates that I can’t just send her to the store for a jar.

Curiosity (and a bumper crop of basil) dictates that I come up with a recipe.

And so I did.

I did a bit of internet research, read the list of ingredients on the jar of Barilla, and then (as usual) decided to do it my way.

The biggest difference between mine and the ones I found on the internet is I used fresh Roma rather than sun-dried tomatoes. I’ve never been a fan of sun-dried tomatoes. I skipped that fad, whenever it was that they were in everything.

The biggest difference between mine and Barilla is I used more basil.

And a few other things….

Pesto Rosso

Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 3 Roma tomatoes, peeled
  • 1 cup basil, leaves only, lightly packed – meaning somewhere between crushing it into the measuring cup and dropping it in.
  • 1/4 cup fresh Parmesan – to measure cut in small cubes
  • 1/4 cup ground almonds
  • 1/4 cup pitted, dry-cured, Greek olives
  • 1/2 cup good olive oil – or enough to get the consistency you want for the sauce
  • 2 cloves garlic

pesto_rosso

Instructions:

  • Put everything but the oil in a blender.
  • Add 1/4 cup oil and blend.  Add more oil as needed.  It really depends on how tightly you packed the basil and how big the tomatoes are.

Print Recipe

My Pesto Rosso is in the dish; the Barilla Pesto Rosso is in the spoon.

The difference?

Mine is a bit chunkier and tastes more of basil. Actually, mine (IMHO) is more complex and the individual flavors are more discernible….. Kind of like the difference between salsa and ketchup.

I’m quite pleased with it, but there are a few tweaks I’ll make next time… I’ll keep you posted.

New topic:

I was thinking the other day that it’s been forever since a meme has come my way. Back in the early days of blogging they were everywhere.

I’m not saying I miss them or even want them, just that they seemed to have fallen to the wayside.

Or maybe they’re just something new bloggers do.

Then I was tagged in one…..

Guess I was wrong.

Thanks, Zoomie, I needed a break, LOL

1. Who or what has had the greatest impact on your life?

Learning to read. It opened up the world for me, past, present and future. Wanting to see more of the world has been a driving force. There’s so much I haven’t seen yet… best get busy.

2. What is your favorite thing to cook?

First courses. They’re small and because they’re small they can be fun, fanciful and decadent. One can turn almost any dish into a first course. Something that is too caloric for a main course can be a perfect starter.

3. Where do you hope to travel next?

Everywhere. If I had no restraints (like money or politics) I’d first like to visit all of the ancient sites in: Greece, Rome, Egypt, Peru, Chile, Cambodia, Myanmar, China….

4. What is your dream job?

So many choices…. astronomer, paleontologist, writer, personal chef, independently wealthy… oh wait, that’s not a job….

5. Favorite book?

I think Margaret Atwood’s, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is one of the scariest books every written, and Ken Grimwood’s ‘Replay’ the most thought provoking. But a favorite? It’s not possible to decide.

6. If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

Make everyone literate…. If everyone could read and had access to books I think the rest of the problems would soon get worked out. Maybe history would finally stop repeating.

7. What is your greatest talent?

Perseverance and the ability to solve problems / puzzles.

8. What skill do you wish you had?

The ability to walk away from problems I can’t solve instead of getting up at dawn to work on it again.

9. Do you prefer sweet or savory?

Savory

10. Have you ever lived abroad?  If so, where?

I live in France – and have lived in Ireland and Andorra.

11. What motivates you to keep blogging?

Sometimes / often I wonder about that…. Probably the dogs.

If you want nutrition information, try this site: Calorie Count

10 thoughts on “Pesto Rosso, a meme”

  1. This could be the answer to me wanting “pesto pasta” and my mom wanting something with tomatoes for the same pasta. So, now, rather than cutting the tomatoes up to serve on the side, she can throw them in (and also get the olives we don’t otherwise like out of our refrigerator!) Thanks!

  2. Hey! You are right!!! Where have all the memes gone? Hahaha i loved them when it started but at the end, it took too much time.

    Thanks for the recipe katie, I will try it 😀
    Going to check those books.
    Hugs

  3. Hi Katie. Summer is coming here great time to make your Pesto Rosso. Like you I’m not keen on sun dried tomatoes. But the semi dred are a good replacement. They taste more like tomatoes than tomato purée could be worth trying them.

  4. Catherine, no, it;s not a pretty red like the stuff in the jar. I couldn’t think of a way to do that with all the basil I wanted to use….

    Nuria, it has been a long, long time LOL. You’ll like it – add some good anchovies….

    Gilli, never tried semi-dried… always so strange to think about you starting summer just as I wrap it up.

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