Fusilli in Sundried Tomato Pesto

I simply love sun-dried tomatoes. The first time I ever had them was on a pizza and ever since I've been absolutely hooked onto them. I've used them in pizzas, salads, savoury muffins, scrambled eggs - and yes, even in daals. They add a tangy and rich flavour to food and can transform food from bland to flavourful.

And the first time I ever made this pesto (based on a recipe I found here), I was in culinary heaven. Nutty, tangy and very aromatic, this pesto is something I have made over and over again and yet have never tired of it.

And add a little cream cheese to it and you have a delectable dip or a sandwich spread. Ummm, it is so delicious that writing about it is making me crave for some right now!

Fusilli in Sun-dried Tomato Walnut Pesto

Ingredients:

Italian basil 1 1/2 cups

sun dried tomatoes 1/2 cup + 2 tbsps

walnuts 1/3 cup

garlic 2 cloves

red wine 1 tbsp

balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp

olive oil - 2 tbsps

sugar - 1 tsp

red chilli flakes, pepper powder - as per your spice tolerance level

salt - to taste

Method:

If you are using sun-dried tomatoes that are not packed in oil, you will need to re-hydrate them. Either soak them in boiling water for about 30 mins, or cover them with olive oil and refrigerate overnight.

Before making the pesto, drain the sun - dried tomatoes by placing them on a kitchen towel. Chop them up. Reserve the oil (or the water), I used this oil in place of the olive oil.

Tear the basil leaves with your hands - smell your fingers, don't they smell lovely - and add the other ingredients (except for the seasonings) in a food processor and blend in short bursts. You want the pesto to be a little gritty.

Transfer to a bowl and add the red chilli flakes, pepper powder, salt and sugar.

Cook the pasta as per the package instructions. Drain the pasta, but reserve a bit - about 2 tbsps - of the cooking liquid - I added a vegetable stock cube while cooking the pasta, makes the pasta a lot tastier. Mix some pesto in this cooking liquid and toss the pasta in the pesto. Add any veggies you want - I had only some carrots and bell pepper on hand - and digg in!

Sending this to Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Theresa and Its a vegan world:Italian hosted by Vaishali.

Oops, I think age is catching up with me...this is also for Lets Go Nuts: walnuts and pecans hosted by me.