Roasted red capsicum pesto

After searching three supermarkets and delis for a pesto I had on the weekend, I succumbed and decided it was time to make one myself.  Ridiculously enough, I could have made the pesto in the time it took to search one supermarket!  Also, this was I know what's going into it - no sugar, no..t too much salt... Enjoy!

Roasted Red Capsicum Pesto

These quantities were all a bit of an educated guess, but it seemed to work well.  A few things however - you may need to loosen it up with either a dash more oil, or even a tiny amount of hot water.  I added a little more lemon juice to good effect.  I also realised after checking an actual recipe that I probably should have toasted the nuts for a little more flavour.  

50g cashews
30g pinenuts
50g sun-dried tomatoes
80g roasted red capsicum (I used some preserved in a jar as I was in a rush, I just rinsed off the liquid)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp finely chopped basil
1 tsp paprika
25g parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp oil

Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a small food processor, and process until all the large chunks have broken down.  Add the oil, and combine briefly until a smoothish paste is formed.  Add more oil if neccessary.  

Another thing you could add would be some red chilli, for a little kick!

We made use of the pesto, and some leftover sausages for dinner last night, simply stirred through some fusilli, zucchini, mushrooms, fennel, and chilli - it was delicious!