Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta with Shrimp
When we think of pesto, most of us think about a green sauce made predominantly with basil. While basil is the main ingredient of traditional pesto, sun dried tomatoes offer a bright, tangy twist on the classic.
The word pesto comes from the Latin word for “to pound,” and it refers to any sauce made by grinding up ingredients, or pounding them in a mortar and pestle. Pesto/pestle. Get it? While you can certainly make pesto using a mortar and pestle, a food processor makes quick work of the job.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta with Shrimp
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 3/4 lb. Penne Pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3/4 lb. shrimp, peeled & deveined
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 3-4 Tablespoons Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (prepared, or if you’d like to make it yourself, the recipe follows)
- Several grape or cherry tomatoes for garnish
Preparation:
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. (Click for great tips on cooking pasta)
In the mean time, heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil and heat until the oil shimmers. Add the shrimp, shallot, and a pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté in olive oil until pink. Remove shrimp from the pan and keep warm.
Deglaze the pan with by adding the white wine and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. When finished you should have a total of ¼ cup liquid. No need to measure, but shoot for half of the original volume.
Add the Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto. Cook for 1 minute. Return the shrimp to the pan and stir. In the pan, toss the cooked, drained penne with the sauce over high heat.
Serve immediately, garnished with some halved grape or cherry tomatoes.
Simple, easy, and delicious. Enjoy.
Sundried Tomato Pesto
- ½ cup packed basil leaves
- ½ cup toasted pine nuts
- 3 cloves garlic
- Zest of half a lemon
- Scant ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup oil-packed sun dried tomatoes
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese
- ¾ cup olive oil
Preparation:
Drain the sun dried tomatoes of excess oil.
In the bowl of your food processor, pulse the garlic a couple of times. Add the basil, pine nuts, zest, salt and drained sun dried tomatoes. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
Add the cheese and pulse to evenly distribute.
With the food processor running, drizzle olive oil through the feed tube until you end up with a thick paste. Taste, and add a bit more salt if necessary.
This recipe will make more pesto than you need for the recipe. Don’t worry; it will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. Sun dried tomato pesto is also very versatile.
Here are a few ideas to get you started. Use some as a topping for bruschetta. Whisk some in to a vinaigrette. Add it to spaghetti sauce or even pot roast. Mix with an equal amount of unsalted butter and top a steak with it. Enjoy!
