Garden Fresh: Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Sauce

Roasted and Rustic

I wish I could say that I plucked ripe red bell peppers out of my garden to make this; what I really did was buy a large bag of peppers at Costco. Along with a few cherry tomatoes and homegrown basil, this sauce is a great thing to have on hand for a quick meal, to serve over pasta, grilled shrimp or chicken.

I find the process of roasting peppers therapeutic; something about the way they spit and sizzle while they roast, combined with the pungent smell of charred vegetable says "delicious" to me.

My kids however, walk into the kitchen making unattractive gagging sounds when they smell them.
It must be the same instinct that compels small children to pick bits of unidentified spices out of their hot dogs. They'll come around, someday.

Roasted Red Pepper-Basil Sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 or 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
6 red bell peppers, roasted and peeled *
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Warm the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat; add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Transfer the garlicky oil to a food processor along with the remaining ingredients and pulse to form a chunky sauce. Taste for seasoning. Serve at room temperature over pasta or as an accompaniment to grilled seafood, meat or poultry.

Keeps up to 4 days, refrigerated.

* To roast bell peppers, place them on a sheet of foil 3 to 4 inches under a preheated broiler element (or put them on your outdoor grill rack, with the grill on medium-high direct heat). Turn them as each side turns dark brown (but not incinerated!). When they're evenly roasted, put them in a large bowl; cover and let them steam about 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and discard the stems and seeds.

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