Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

I bought a huge bag of basil at the farmer’s market on the weekend, and I realized today that there was a serious need for some pesto action or it was all going to go bad before I had a chance to use it.

I was pouring over the copy of Giada De Laurentiis’ “Everyday Italian” that I got from the library, and when I spotted her recipe for Sun-dried Tomato Pesto I knew I had to make it. Our family has a tendency towards carbohydrate addiction, so we eat more pasta than I care to admit, and I’m always looking for new ways to dress it up.I’m happy to report that it was absolutely delicious and everyone gobbled down more than their usual amount for dinner (no leftovers for hubby’s lunch, but oh well). I can’t decide whether I liked it as much as the recipe for SDTP in Plenty, as there were no nuts at all to emulsify it, but it was very good nonetheless.
I just have to mention one of my very favorite tools, as it’s really handy for any recipe calling for hard cheese – my trusty wood rasp/cheese grater from Lee Valley Tools. It is the best grater I’ve ever owned – it’s sharp, but not finger-shreddingly so, and it works incredibly well for lemon zest and fresh nutmeg. Without it I’d be forced to use Kraft parmesan cheese product from a shaker (okay maybe not, but I really do like it a lot).