Ubiquitous

Tortellini al pesto di peperoni rossi

27 May 2010 2 Comments

by Ubiquityin Recipe Vault Tags: dinner, food, pasta

Pasta with fillings goes a long way back and almost every region in Italy has its own varieties. There are vegetable, meat and even fish-based and they can also include cheese together with the stuffing. These pastas can be found in the supermarket; commonly fresh. Unlike those in the pantry, stuffed pasta does not have a long shelf life. Once purchased, it is always recommended to consume as early as possible. It may be refrigerated unopened for a couple of days (5 days maximum) before it goes moldy. The canned ones are, of course, beyond comparison as they are always full of preservatives and ends up soggy on your plate. Remember! Always buy fresh!

Stuffed pasta goes best with simple tomato or light, cream-based sauces. This is to ensure the sauce do not overpower the pasta but compliment it instead. So for my fresh tortellini filled with spinach and cheese, I made a red bell pepper pesto to go with it. Ready made pestos (they are good too) are available in the supermarket but I made mine fresh because it’s really easy. And since it turned out good, I’m gonna share the recipe with you…

PS: If there are leftovers of the pesto, you may refrigerate them for up to 3 weeks in an airtight jar.

Serves 4

Ingredients:
60g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
1 red bell pepper, cut into dices & roasted in the oven at 200 degrees Celcius for 15 – 20 minutes
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 and a half tablespoon of pine nuts, toasted (I used almonds instead, some people are allergic to pine nuts)
half a teaspoon of crushed chili flakes
6 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Place tomatoes, red bell pepper, garlic, pine nuts, chili flakes and oil in a food processor; pulse to a smooth paste. Add balsamic vinegar and pepper to taste. To serve, toss well with cooked pasta in the warm pasta pot and sprinkle with generous amount of grated parmesan cheese.