September 5, 2007
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Bell of the Ball

My son loves red bell peppers. When I'm too lazy to cut them into strips, he eats them like apples. Now this is a good thing, as what could be better than getting two servings of vegetables down your child in one fell swoop. The only downside is that they're usually expensive–$2.69 per pepper–except in the fall, that is, when they're in season and abundant in piles at the farmers market. Even the supermarket has them for 99 cents a piece. When this is the case, I buy them en masse and roast them by the pan-full.

Roasted bell peppers are great in just about everything, from sandwiches to pasta to soup. But I love them best as the star of their own sauce. This red pepper pesto is loosely based on the Spanish Romesco sauce, which is a heady combination of red peppers, garlic, almonds, bread and vinegar. Ours is a bit simpler, requiring only garlic, olive oil, walnuts and peppers. It's perfect in place of cocktail sauce for shrimp, as a spread on a turkey sandwich, and slathered over grilled flank steak and vegetables. Now if I can just get them roasted before my son devours them all.

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto printer friendly version You can baste with this sauce as well as serve it alongside grilled flank steak, shrimp, fish and vegetables. Toss some hearty bread on the grill and spread it on that too. Best yet, you can make it ahead and keep in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Ingredients 2 large red bell peppers 1/3 cup chopped walnuts 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt Relish Wine Club Join the Relish Wine Club and receive a FREE GIFT! Looking for more recipes? Try searching our database of recipes. Instructions 1. Cut peppers lengthwise in half, remove seeds and place peppers cut sides down on baking sheet lined with foil. Broil until charred, about 20 minutes. Cool, remove and discard skins, and cut peppers in wide strips. 2. Combine peppers, walnuts, garlic, oil and salt in a food processor. Process until blended. Serve with grilled steak, shrimp, bread and vegetables. Makes 1 cup. Nutritional Information Per (2-tablespoon) serving: 90 calories, 9g fat, 1g prot., 3g carbs., 1g fiber, 150mg sodium. Other Recipe Suggestions Beef and Pepper Pesto Salad Mahammar (Pepper, Pomegranate and Walnut Dip) Bell Peppers Lemonly Dressed and Cumin-esque Shrimp, Orzo Pistachio Pesto Salad Linguine with Cilantro Pesto   If you liked this newsletter, give our website a try at http://www.relishmag.com.   If you would like to not receive future mailings of our newsletter, you can be removed from our list by using this link. Relish is a division of Publishing Group of America, Inc. All content within this site is ©2007 of Publishing Group of America unless otherwise noted.